Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे मृतानां तु संन्यासेन द्विजन्मनाम् । अनिवर्तिका गतिस्तेषां मोक्षतीर्थप्रभावतः

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe mṛtānāṃ tu saṃnyāsena dvijanmanām | anivartikā gatisteṣāṃ mokṣatīrthaprabhāvataḥ

Translation

ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ സന്ന്യാസധർമ്മത്തിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്ന ദ്വിജന്മാർ മരിച്ചാൽ, മോക്ഷതീർത്ഥത്തിന്റെ പ്രഭാവത്താൽ അവരുടെ ഗതി അനാവർത്ത—പുനർജന്മരഹിതം ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण/adverb of place)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• मृतानाम्: of the dead
• मृतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त; √मृ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (प्रायः), षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle; emphasis/contrast)

• संन्यासेन: by renunciation (sannyāsa)
• संन्यासेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संन्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• द्विजन्मनाम्: of the twice-born (Brāhmaṇa etc.)
• द्विजन्मनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वि + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक); द्विजन्मन्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (द्वि + जन्मन् = twice-born)

• अनिवर्तिका: non-returning
• अनिवर्तिका: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनिवर्तिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (गतेः)

• गतिः: the course/destination
• गतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक/स्त्री (सर्वनाम), षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• मोक्षतीर्थप्रभावतः: due to the power of the liberation-tīrtha
• मोक्षतीर्थप्रभावतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मोक्ष + तीर्थ + प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक); प्रभावतस् (अव्ययीभाव-तद्धित/तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्/तद्धितान्त -तः = 'from/because of'); समास: मोक्षतीर्थ (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्राय) + प्रभाव; अर्थे हेतौ (causal)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (continuing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mokṣatīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene river-ford on the Revā; a saffron-clad renunciant (dvija-saṃnyāsin) at the moment of passing, attended by subtle divine beings; the river glows as ‘Mokṣatīrtha’ power grants non-returning liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Mokṣatīrtha
• Dvija
• Saṃnyāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Renunciation combined with the sanctity of a supreme tīrtha is portrayed as leading to an irreversible liberation-oriented destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mokṣatīrtha, whose prabhāva (spiritual potency) grants anivartikā gati to qualified renunciants.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse does not prescribe a rite; it specifies a condition—death at the tīrtha while in saṃnyāsa—for a stated spiritual result.