Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

दंष्ट्रिभिर्जलपाते च विद्युत्पातेषु ये मृताः । न येषामग्निसंस्कारो नाशौचं नोदकक्रिया

Transliteration

daṃṣṭribhirjalapāte ca vidyutpāteṣu ye mṛtāḥ | na yeṣāmagnisaṃskāro nāśaucaṃ nodakakriyā

Translation

ദംഷ്ട്രികളായ ജീവികളുടെ കടിയാൽ, വെള്ളത്തിൽ വീണു, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ മിന്നൽപാതത്തിൽ മരിച്ചവർ—അവർക്കു അഗ്നിസംസ്കാരം നടന്നില്ല, ആശൗചം പാലിച്ചില്ല, ഉദകക്രിയയും ചെയ്തില്ല—അവരും (ഇവിടെ ഉൾപ്പെടുന്നു)।

Word by Word

• दंष्ट्रिभिः: by those with fangs (biters)
• दंष्ट्रिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दंष्ट्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• जलपाते: in a fall into water / drowning
• जलपाते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल-पात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (जले पातः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• विद्युत्पातेषु: in lightning strikes
• विद्युत्पातेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्युत्-पात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (विद्युतः पातः)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• मृताः: dead
• मृताः: Predicate (विशेषणवत् विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मृ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त), प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (past passive participle: ‘dead’)

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

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (of whom)

• अग्निसंस्कारः: fire-rite (cremation)
• अग्निसंस्कारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि-संस्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (अग्निना संस्कारः / अग्निसंबन्धी संस्कारः)

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

• अशौचम्: impurity (mourning)
• अशौचम्: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशौच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा (there is no impurity)

• न: nor
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• उदकक्रिया: water-rite (libations)
• उदकक्रिया: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदक-क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (उदकेन/उदकसम्बन्धिनी क्रिया)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrative tableau of accidental deaths: serpent-bite, drowning, lightning-strike shown as small vignettes; foreground shows a priest at the river performing udaka-kriyā and piṇḍa offerings on behalf of those without cremation or mourning rites.

Characters & Entities

• Agni-saṃskāra (cremation)
• Udaka-kriyā (water rites)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma highlights compassionate completion: sacred rites and tīrtha-merit can assist even those who lacked proper last rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śūlabheda-tīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa, presented as efficacious for difficult death-cases and incomplete rites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Reference to antyeṣṭi components—agni-saṃskāra (cremation), āśauca observance, and udaka-kriyā—implying remedial śrāddha/rites at the tīrtha.