Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

तेषां तु स्वर्गगमनं यथैष स्वर्गतिं गतः । कथमेतत्समाचक्ष्व विस्मयः परमो मम

Transliteration

teṣāṃ tu svargagamanaṃ yathaiṣa svargatiṃ gataḥ | kathametatsamācakṣva vismayaḥ paramo mama

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ആ ജനങ്ങൾ എങ്ങനെ സ്വർഗ്ഗഗമനം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു, ഈയാൾ സ്വർഗ്ഗഗതി നേടിയതുപോലെ? ദയവായി എനിക്ക് വിശദീകരിക്കൂ; എന്റെ വിസ്മയം അത്യന്തമാണ്.

Word by Word

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

• तु: but; indeed
• तु: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• स्वर्गगमनम्: going to heaven
• स्वर्गगमनम्: Karma/Topic (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग + गमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; समासः ‘स्वर्गस्य गमनम्’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• यथा: as; just as
• यथा: Avyaya (Comparative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (comparative/manner)

• एषः: this one; he
• एषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्वर्गतिम्: the path/state of heaven
• स्वर्गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग + गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः ‘स्वर्गस्य गतिः’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• गतः: has gone
• गतः: Kriya (Predicative action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृत् (past participle, क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Prashna/Avyaya (Interrogative modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• समाचक्ष्व: explain; tell
• समाचक्ष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-चक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विस्मयः: astonishment
• विस्मयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• परमः: supreme; great
• परमः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘vismayaḥ’)

• मम: of me; my
• मम: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

Speaker

Pārvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-phala inquiry

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (primary audience, implicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī leans forward, eyes widened in wonder, asking how the multitude can attain heaven like a particular exemplar; Śiva remains composed.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī
• Śiva (implied)
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual results are not random; Purāṇic teaching links फल to faith, intention, and dharmic alignment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā tīrtha-context where many perform snāna, prompting the question about svarga-gamana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new prescription; it continues the inquiry about the efficacy of tīrtha-related practice.