Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

धर्ममेवानुतिष्ठंतः पुण्यं विंदंति तत्फलम् । अधर्ममनुतिष्ठंतस्ते पापफलभोगिनः

Transliteration

dharmamevānutiṣṭhaṃtaḥ puṇyaṃ viṃdaṃti tatphalam | adharmamanutiṣṭhaṃtaste pāpaphalabhoginaḥ

Translation

ധർമ്മം മാത്രം അനുഷ്ഠിക്കുന്നവർ പുണ്യവും അതിന്റെ ഫലവും പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു; അധർമ്മം അനുഷ്ഠിക്കുന്നവർ പാപഫലഭോക്താക്കളാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• धर्मम्: dharma, righteousness
• धर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• अनुतिष्ठन्तः: (they) practice / follow
• अनुतिष्ठन्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमा-पुरुषः, बहुवचन; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्तवत् प्रयोगः (Present indicative, 3rd person plural; used as present participial form in nominative plural)

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• विन्दन्ति: find, obtain
• विन्दन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमा-पुरुषः, बहुवचन (Present indicative, 3rd person plural)

• तत्-फलम्: its fruit/result
• तत्-फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (genitive determinative); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• अधर्मम्: unrighteousness, adharma
• अधर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• अनुतिष्ठन्तः: (those who) practice
• अनुतिष्ठन्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमा-पुरुषः, बहुवचन; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्तवत् प्रयोगः (Present indicative, 3rd person plural; used as present participial form in nominative plural)

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

• पाप-फल-भोगिनः: enjoyers/experiencers of sinful results
• पाप-फल-भोगिनः: Pradhana-predicative (Predicate nominal/विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + भोगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (determinative; 'enjoyers of the fruit of sin'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced from Brahmottarakhaṇḍa context; speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: a calm sage instructs disciples; on one side a path of light labeled Dharma leading upward, on the other a shadowed path labeled Adharma leading downward; subtle imagery of scales of justice and karmic fruits.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma
• Adharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Moral causality is direct: dharmic conduct yields puṇya, while adharmic conduct yields suffering through pāpa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; this is a general dharma-śāstra style teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is behavioral: adhere to Dharma and avoid Adharma to shape one’s karmic outcome.