Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

कच्छपैर्मकरैश्चान्ये जग्मुरन्ये पदातयः । प्राप्य ते परमं स्थानमशक्यं यदधार्मिकैः

Transliteration

kacchapairmakaraiścānye jagmuranye padātayaḥ | prāpya te paramaṃ sthānamaśakyaṃ yadadhārmikaiḥ

Translation

ചിലർ കച്ചപങ്ങളിലെയും മകരങ്ങളിലെയും മേൽ കയറി പോയി; ചിലർ പാദചാരികളായി പോയി. ഇങ്ങനെ അവർ അധാർമ്മികർക്കു പ്രാപ്യമല്ലാത്ത പരമസ്ഥാനത്തെത്തി।

Word by Word

• कच्छपैः: by tortoises
• कच्छपैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कच्छप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• मकरैः: by makaras (sea-creatures)
• मकरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; ‘केचित्’ इत्यर्थे

• जग्मुः: went
• जग्मुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• पदातयः: foot-soldiers, those on foot
• पदातयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पदाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘प्राप्य’ = having reached

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (स्थानम्)

• स्थानम्: place, abode
• स्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• अशक्यम्: unattainable
• अशक्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-शक्य (प्रातिपदिक; शक्-धातु यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; नञ्-समासपूर्वक विशेषणम् (स्थानम्)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम, ‘यत्…’ = which

• अधार्मिकैः: by the unrighteous
• अधार्मिकैः: Karana (Agent/Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ-धार्मिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; नञ्-पूर्वक

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jāleśvara (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍunandana

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mixed procession: some devas ride turtles and makaras across cosmic waters, others walk; ahead shines an inaccessible luminous realm, with a subtle boundary that repels shadowy adharmic figures.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Kacchapa
• Makara
• Brahmaloka (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual realms and higher states are approached through dharma; adharma blocks access to the ‘paramaṃ sthānam’.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha in this verse; it contrasts dharmic eligibility with adharmic exclusion in a cosmological setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the emphasis is ethical (dharma) rather than ritual.