Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

देवमार्गे मृतानां तु नराणां भावितात्मनाम् । न भवेत्पुनरावृत्ती रुद्रलोकात्कदाचन

Transliteration

devamārge mṛtānāṃ tu narāṇāṃ bhāvitātmanām | na bhavetpunarāvṛttī rudralokātkadācana

Translation

ദേവമാർഗ്ഗത്തിൽ മരിക്കുന്ന ഭാവിതാത്മാക്കളായ മനുഷ്യർക്കു രുദ്രലോകത്തിൽ നിന്നു ഒരിക്കലും പുനരാവർത്തി (പുനർജന്മം) ഉണ്ടാകുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• देवमार्गे: on the divine path
• देवमार्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवमार्ग (प्रातिपदिक; देव + मार्ग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• मृतानाम्: of the dead
• मृतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; मृ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण

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

• नराणाम्: of men
• नराणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• भावितात्मनाम्: of those whose selves are purified/imbued (devout)
• भावितात्मनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भावितात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; भावित + आत्मन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (भावितः आत्मा येषाम्)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• भवेत्: would be/should occur
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), तृतीयपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पुनरावृत्तिः: return (rebirth)
• पुनरावृत्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुनरावृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक; पुनर् + आवृत्ति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (पुनः आवृत्तिः)

• रुद्रलोकात्: from Rudra’s world
• रुद्रलोकात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्रलोक (प्रातिपदिक; रुद्र + लोक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• कदाचन: ever/at any time
• कदाचन: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचन (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devamārga

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Royal listener (king) and assembly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene riverbank at Devamārga; an aged devotee with calm face lies in final moments, hearing Śiva-nāma; subtle vision of Rudraloka gates with Śiva-gaṇas welcoming; atmosphere of peace and certainty.

Characters & Entities

• Devamārga
• Rudraloka
• bhāvitātman (cultivated devotee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sanctified place, met with a purified mind, becomes a gateway to liberation and non-return.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Devamārga, praised for granting final attainment to bhāvitātman devotees even at the time of death.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it states the fruit (non-return) for spiritually cultivated persons who die at Devamārga.