Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

इहलोके बलैर्युक्तः परे मोक्षमवाप्नुयात् । देवान्पित्ःन् समभ्यर्च्य पित्ःणामनृणी भवेत्

Transliteration

ihaloke balairyuktaḥ pare mokṣamavāpnuyāt | devānpitḥn samabhyarcya pitḥṇāmanṛṇī bhavet

Translation

ഈ ലോകത്തിൽ അവൻ ബലസമ്പന്നനായി, പരലോകത്തിൽ മോക്ഷം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു. ദേവന്മാരെയും പിതൃകളെയും വിധിപൂർവ്വം അർച്ചിച്ച് പിതൃഋണത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വിമുക്തനാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• iha-loke: in this world
• iha-loke: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: iha (अव्यय) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव-समास (iha + loke) = ‘in this world’

• balaiḥ: with strengths/powers
• balaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• yuktaḥ: endowed/connected
• yuktaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuj (धातु) → yukta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (to implied ‘naraḥ/saḥ’)

• pare: in the next world
• pare: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘in the other (world)’

• mokṣam: liberation
• mokṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• avāpnuyāt: may attain
• avāpnuyāt: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-āp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• devān: the gods
• devān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• pitṝn: the ancestors
• pitṝn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; ऋ-प्रातिपदिक (pitṛ-शब्द)

• samabhyarcya: having duly worshipped
• samabhyarcya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-abhi-arc (धातु) → samabhyarcya (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्यय; पूर्वक्रिया ‘having worshipped’

• pitṝṇām: of the ancestors
• pitṝṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• anṛṇī: free from debt/obligation
• anṛṇī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-ṛṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; नञ्-समासार्थ ‘debtless’ (as predicate adjective)

• bhavet: may become
• bhavet: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revatīrtha (Revā-tīrtha)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim on the Narmadā bank offers arghya and tarpaṇa with kuśa grass, while a small Śiva-liṅga shrine and pitṛ symbols (piṇḍa, tila) appear; the river glows as a liberating presence.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Pitṛs
• Mokṣa
• Puṅkha Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True tīrtha practice integrates worldly well-being, liberation, and fulfillment of obligations to gods and ancestors.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṅkha Tīrtha in Revā Khaṇḍa, where bathing and worship yield both worldly and transcendent fruits.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship/offerings honoring the Devas and the Pitṛs (ancestral rites such as tarpaṇa are implied).