Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे नरो यस्तु प्राणत्यागं करोति वै । अनिवर्तिका गतिस्तस्य रुद्रलोकादसंशयम्

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe naro yastu prāṇatyāgaṃ karoti vai | anivartikā gatistasya rudralokādasaṃśayam

Translation

ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ യഥാർത്ഥത്തിൽ പ്രാണത്യാഗം ചെയ്യുന്ന മനുഷ്യന്റെ ഗതി അനിവർത്തിനി—വീണ്ടും മടങ്ങാത്തത്; സംശയമില്ലാതെ അവൻ രുദ്രലോകം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• tīrthe: at the sacred ford/place
• tīrthe: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक निपात (particle)

• prāṇa-tyāgam: giving up of life
• prāṇa-tyāgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + tyāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (prāṇānāṃ tyāgaḥ)

• karoti: does/performs
• karoti: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• vai: certainly
• vai: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• anivartikā: non-returning/irreversible
• anivartikā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-ivartika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (to gatiḥ)

• gatiḥ: destination/going
• gatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• rudra-lokāt: from Rudra’s world
• rudra-lokāt: Apādāna (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (rudrasya lokaḥ)

• asaṃśayam: without doubt
• asaṃśayam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: a-saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्राय (क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन प्रयोगः; ‘without doubt’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revatīrtha (Revā-tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a quiet riverbank, an aged devotee lies on kuśa-mat facing a Śiva-liṅga; attendants chant ‘Namaḥ Śivāya’; above, Rudra-loka is hinted as a luminous realm with Śiva’s presence.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Rudraloka
• Puṅkha Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa elevates certain tīrthas as gateways to Rudra’s realm, emphasizing the salvific power of sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṅkha Tīrtha (Puṅkhila), a Narmadā-region sacred ford in Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new ritual is prescribed in this verse; it states the exceptional fruit associated with dying at the tīrtha.