Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

कदाचिदपि तस्येष्टं नैव सिद्ध्यति भूतले । वैतरिण्याख्यनरके पतत्याचंद्रतारकम्

Transliteration

kadācidapi tasyeṣṭaṃ naiva siddhyati bhūtale | vaitariṇyākhyanarake patatyācaṃdratārakam

Translation

ഭൂമിയിൽ അവന്റെ ഇഷ്ടം ഒരിക്കലും സിദ്ധിക്കുകയില്ല; ചന്ദ്രനും നക്ഷത്രങ്ങളും നിലനിൽക്കുന്നത്രകാലം ‘വൈതരണി’ എന്ന നരകത്തിൽ അവൻ പതിക്കും।

Word by Word

• kadācit: ever/at any time
• kadācit: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācit (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय; ‘ever/at any time’

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; ‘even/also’

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular

• iṣṭam: desired aim/object
• iṣṭam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: iṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; subject ‘desired thing’

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• eva: at all/indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; emphasis ‘indeed/just’

• siddhyati: is accomplished/succeeds
• siddhyati: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sidh (सिध् धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; becomes accomplished

• bhūtale: on the earth
• bhūtale: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūtala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; locative singular

• vaitariṇyākhyanarake: in the hell named Vaitaraṇī
• vaitariṇyākhyanarake: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaitariṇī (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhya (प्रातिपदिक) + naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; locative singular; ‘in the hell called Vaitaraṇī’

• patati: falls
• patati: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pat (पत् धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; falls

• ā: up to/until
• ā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: अव्यय; here as prepositional particle meaning ‘up to/until’ (used with accusative)

• caṃdratārakam: (until) the moon and stars (i.e., for a very long time)
• caṃdratārakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃdra (प्रातिपदिक) + tāraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular used with ā ‘until’; dvandva ‘moon and stars’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (as the teaching venue)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-oriented audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A man’s worldly endeavors fail—withered crops, broken tools—while in the background a terrifying river/hell labeled Vaitaraṇī awaits; above, pitṛs turn away in disappointment.

Characters & Entities

• Vaitaraṇī (Naraka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ignoring dharmic obligations harms both worldly success and post-death well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu-kṣetra, where the Purāṇa frames śrāddha as essential to auspicious outcomes.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The passage reinforces the necessity of Mahālaya śrāddha by contrasting it with severe consequences.