Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

आयुर्विनश्यत्ययशो विवर्धते भाग्यं क्षयं यात्यतिदुर्गतिं व्रजेत् । स्वर्गाच्च्यवंते पितरः पुरातना धर्मव्यपेतस्य नरस्य निश्चितम्

Transliteration

āyurvinaśyatyayaśo vivardhate bhāgyaṃ kṣayaṃ yātyatidurgatiṃ vrajet | svargāccyavaṃte pitaraḥ purātanā dharmavyapetasya narasya niścitam

Translation

ധർമ്മത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വഴുതിയ മനുഷ്യന് ഇത് നിശ്ചയം—അവന്റെ ആയുസ്സ് നശിക്കുന്നു, അപകീർത്തി വർധിക്കുന്നു, ഭാഗ്യം ക്ഷയിക്കുന്നു, അവൻ ഘോര ദുര്‍ഗതിയിലേക്കു പോകുന്നു; അവന്റെ പുരാതന പിതൃക്കളും സ്വർഗ്ഗത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ച്യുതരാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• आयुः: life-span
• आयुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = nominative singular (“life-span”)

• विनश्यति: perishes
• विनश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नश् (धातु) + वि- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = present indicative, 3rd sg (“perishes”)

• यशः: fame
• यशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यशस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = nominative singular (“fame”)

• विवर्धते: increases
• विवर्धते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृध् (धातु) + वि- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद = present indicative, 3rd sg (“increases”)

• भाग्यम्: fortune
• भाग्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाग्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन = nom/acc sg (“fortune”)

• क्षयम्: decline, destruction
• क्षयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = accusative singular (“to destruction/decline”)

• याति: goes to, reaches
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = present indicative, 3rd sg (“goes/attains”)

• अतिदुर्गतिम्: extreme misfortune/evil state
• अतिदुर्गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अति (अव्यय/उपसर्ग) + दुर्गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = accusative singular; समासः: अति-दुर्गति (तत्पुरुष)

• व्रजेत्: would go
• व्रजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = optative, 3rd sg (“would go/should go”)

• स्वर्गात्: from heaven
• स्वर्गात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन = ablative singular (“from heaven”)

• च्यवन्ते: fall
• च्यवन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √च्यु (धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद = present indicative, 3rd pl (“fall down”)

• पितरः: ancestors
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन = nominative plural (“ancestors/fathers”)

• पुरातनाः: ancient, former
• पुरातनाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन = nominative plural; विशेषण of पितरः

• धर्मव्यपेतस्य: of one who has fallen away from dharma
• धर्मव्यपेतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + व्यपेत (कृदन्त, वि+अप+√इ ‘to go away’ → व्यपेत)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन = genitive singular; कृदन्त-विशेषण (क्त); समासः: धर्म-व्यपेत (तत्पुरुष, “devoid of dharma”)

• नरस्य: of the man
• नरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन = genitive singular (“of the man”)

• निश्चितम्: certain, definite
• निश्चितम्: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निश्चित (कृदन्त, नि+√चि ‘to determine’ → निश्चित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन = neuter nom/acc sg; predicate adjective (“certain/definite”)

Speaker

Unknown (gnomic statement within the narrative; speaker not identifiable from snippet alone)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral tableau: a man stepping off the path of dharma into a thorny wasteland; above, ancestral figures (pitṛs) slipping from a luminous heaven as his fortune and fame crumble like falling garlands.

Characters & Entities

• dharma
• pitṛ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma sustains both personal welfare and ancestral merit; abandoning dharma brings ruin here and hereafter.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is praised in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is taught; it presents a dharma-sūtra-like consequence statement.