Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

समागतौ तदा दृष्टौ मध्ये ज्वलितपावकौ । पुण्यपापानि जन्तूनां श्रुतिस्मृत्यर्थपारगौ

Transliteration

samāgatau tadā dṛṣṭau madhye jvalitapāvakau | puṇyapāpāni jantūnāṃ śrutismṛtyarthapāragau

Translation

അപ്പോൾ രണ്ടുപേരെ അവിടെ എത്തിയവരായി കണ്ടു; അവർ ജ്വലിക്കുന്ന അഗ്നിയുടെ മദ്ധ്യേ നിലകൊണ്ടിരുന്നു. അവർ ജീവികളുടെ പുണ്യപാപങ്ങൾ നിർണയിക്കുന്നവർ, ശ്രുതി-സ്മൃതി അർത്ഥങ്ങളിൽ പാരംഗതർ.

Word by Word

• समागतौ: (the two) arrived
• समागतौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-गम् (धातु) → समागत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; कर्तरि—‘having come together/arrived’

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• दृष्टौ: (the two) were seen
• दृष्टौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; कर्मणि/कर्तरि-सन्दर्भे—‘were seen/seen’

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (or अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः); ‘in the middle’

• ज्वलितपावकौ: like blazing fires (two)
• ज्वलितपावकौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्वलित-पावक (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; कर्मधारयः (ज्वलितः पावकः)

• पुण्यपापानि: merits and sins
• पुण्यपापानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य-पाप (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (पुण्यं च पापं च)

• जन्तूनाम्: of beings/creatures
• जन्तूनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• श्रुतिस्मृत्यर्थपारगौ: versed in the meaning of śruti and smṛti
• श्रुतिस्मृत्यर्थपारगौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रुति-स्मृति-अर्थ-पारग (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; समासः: (श्रुतिस्मृत्योः अर्थे) पारगौ—‘versed in the meaning of śruti and smṛti’ (श्रुति+स्मृति = द्वन्द्व-पूर्वपद, ततः षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः)

Speaker

Unspecified (Revā Khaṇḍa narrator; likely Sūta in the frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two authoritative figures stand amid a ring of blazing fire, calm and discerning, holding scriptures/scrolls; they weigh the deeds of beings with unblinking clarity.

Characters & Entities

• Śruti
• Smṛti
• Yama (contextual)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Moral judgment is portrayed as grounded in sacred law (Śruti–Smṛti), affirming that dharma is knowable and not arbitrary.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse concerns the judicial process in Yama’s realm.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it emphasizes scriptural standards for evaluating conduct.