Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

तरन्ति तस्यां सद्दानैरन्यथा तु पतन्ति ते । मातरं ये न मन्यन्ते ह्याचार्यं गुरुमेव च

Transliteration

taranti tasyāṃ saddānairanyathā tu patanti te | mātaraṃ ye na manyante hyācāryaṃ gurumeva ca

Translation

അവളിൽ സദ്ദാനങ്ങളാൽ (ധർമ്മദാനങ്ങളാൽ) അവർ കടക്കുന്നു; അല്ലെങ്കിൽ അവർ വീഴും. മാതാവിനെയും, അതുപോലെ ആചാര്യനെയും ഗുരുവിനെയും ആദരിക്കാത്തവർ സുരക്ഷിതമായി കടക്കുകയില്ല।

Word by Word

• तरन्ति: they cross
• तरन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• तस्याम्: in that (river)
• तस्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; (नदी इत्यर्थे)

• सद्दानैः: by good gifts/charity
• सद्दानैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; समासः—सत् दानम् इति कर्मधारय (good + gift)

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: otherwise)

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (Contrast/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/विरोध-निपात (particle: but)

• पतन्ति: they fall
• पतन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मातरम्: mother
• मातरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• मन्यन्ते: they consider/think (as)
• मन्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis/Reason/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• आचार्यम्: teacher
• आचार्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आचार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• गुरुम्: guru
• गुरुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Restriction/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (restrictive particle: only/indeed)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the riverbank, a pilgrim offers ‘sat-dāna’—food, cloth, or coins—to a worthy recipient; behind, symbolic figures who dishonor mother and guru slip and fall into the current, unable to cross.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Mātṛ (Mother)
• Ācārya/Guru

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-merit is upheld by dharma: charity and reverence to mother and guru enable true spiritual ‘crossing over’.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā (Narmadā) as a liberating/purifying river-tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sat-dāna—performing righteous charity as supportive conduct for benefiting from the tīrtha.