Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

दुःखेन लभ्यते यस्मान्मानुष्यं जन्म भाग्यतः । मानुष्यं जन्म चासाद्य या न धर्मं समाचरेत्

Transliteration

duḥkhena labhyate yasmānmānuṣyaṃ janma bhāgyataḥ | mānuṣyaṃ janma cāsādya yā na dharmaṃ samācaret

Translation

കാരണം മനുഷ്യജന്മം ദുഃഖം സഹിച്ചും ഭാഗ്യവശാലും മാത്രമേ ലഭിക്കൂ. മനുഷ്യജന്മം ലഭിച്ചിട്ടും ധർമ്മം ആചരിക്കാത്തവൻ…

Word by Word

• दुःखेन: with hardship, through suffering
• दुःखेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd, instrumental), एकवचन

• लभ्यते: is obtained
• लभ्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): 'is obtained'

• यस्मात्: because (from which reason)
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th, ablative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• मानुष्यम्: human
• मानुष्यम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• भाग्यतः: by good fortune
• भाग्यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भाग्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• मानुष्यम्: human
• मानुष्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordinator/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• आसाद्य: having attained
• आसाद्य: Pūrvakāla (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• या: she who/one who
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय

• धर्मम्: dharma, righteousness
• धर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• समाचरेत्: should practice
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śabara

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic moment: the Śabara speaks as if teaching—gesturing toward the river and the path of dharma; symbolic imagery of a human life as a brief lamp beside flowing water.

Characters & Entities

• dharma
• mānuṣya-janma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human birth is rare and precious; its true purpose is fulfilled through practicing dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly, the tīrtha context frames the teaching, but the verse itself emphasizes dharma rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is general: ‘practice dharma’—a broad umbrella that includes vrata, dāna, worship, and right conduct.