Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

नास्तिका भिन्नमर्यादा ये निश्चयबहिष्कृताः । तेषां सिद्धिर्न विद्येत आस्तिक्याद्भवते ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

nāstikā bhinnamaryādā ye niścayabahiṣkṛtāḥ | teṣāṃ siddhirna vidyeta āstikyādbhavate dhruvam

Translation

നാസ്തികരും മര്യാദാഭംഗം ചെയ്തവരും ദൃഢനിശ്ചയത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ബഹിഷ്കൃതരുമായവർക്ക് സിദ്ധി ഉണ്ടാകില്ല. ആസ്തിക്യത്തിൽ നിന്നാണ് നിശ്ചയമായും വിജയം ഉദ്ഭവിക്കുന്നത്.

Word by Word

• नास्तिकाः: atheists / non-believers
• नास्तिकाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नास्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; ‘नास्तिक’ इति नाम

• भिन्नमर्यादाः: of broken/violated conduct
• भिन्नमर्यादाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिन्न (कृदन्त, √भिद्) + मर्यादा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः; ‘भिन्ना मर्यादा येषाम्’ इति विशेषणम्

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

• निश्चयबहिष्कृताः: excluded by firm resolve / decisively rejected
• निश्चयबहिष्कृताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निश्चय (प्रातिपदिक) + बहिष्कृत (कृदन्त, √कृ + बहिस् उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः; ‘निश्चयेन बहिष्कृताः’ (excluded by/through conviction)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• सिद्धिः: success / attainment
• सिद्धिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• विद्येत: would exist / would be found
• विद्येत: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √विद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; ‘विद्यते’ इत्यस्य विध्यादेशः

• आस्तिक्यात्: from faith / due to belief
• आस्तिक्यात्: Hetu/Apadana (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आस्तिक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन; हेतौ अपादानम् (from/owing to)

• भवते: arises / happens
• भवते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण प्रयुक्तम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग-प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपं अव्ययवत्

Speaker

Śiva

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājendra (the king addressed in this chapter)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic moment: a sage instructs a king on the necessity of āstikya; pilgrims in the background prepare for river worship, contrasting disciplined devotees with boundary-breaking skeptics.

Characters & Entities

• Nāstika
• Āstikya
• Siddhi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Āstikya—trust in dharma and sacred order—is presented as the necessary condition for spiritual success.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā tīrtha-mahātmya is upheld by explaining that faith determines receptivity to tīrtha-grace.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite; the verse prescribes an inner discipline: firm conviction and dharmic conduct.