Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

ज्ञानतोऽज्ञानतो राजंस्तेषु स्था नेषु ये मृताः । सर्वे ते पुण्यकर्माणः स्वर्गं भुक्त्वा सुखं बहु

Transliteration

jñānato'jñānato rājaṃsteṣu sthā neṣu ye mṛtāḥ | sarve te puṇyakarmāṇaḥ svargaṃ bhuktvā sukhaṃ bahu

Translation

ഹേ രാജൻ! ആ സ്ഥാനങ്ങളിൽ അറിഞ്ഞോ അറിയാതെയോ മരിക്കുന്നവർ എല്ലാവരും പുണ്യകർമ്മികളാകുന്നു; സ്വർഗ്ഗഭോഗം അനുഭവിച്ച് മഹത്തായ സുഖം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ज्ञानतः: knowingly; with knowledge
• ज्ञानतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘from/through knowledge’

• अज्ञानतः: unknowingly; out of ignorance
• अज्ञानतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय ‘from ignorance’

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative); एकवचन

• तेषु: in those
• तेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुं; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); बहुवचन

• स्थानेषु: in places
• स्थानेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); बहुवचन

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

• मृताः: dead; having died
• मृताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन

• पुण्यकर्माणः: doers of meritorious deeds
• पुण्यकर्माणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे: ‘पुण्यं कर्म येषाम्/पुण्यकर्म’); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन

• स्वर्गम्: heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• भुक्त्वा: having enjoyed
• भुक्त्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भुज् (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्ययीभाव/क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive) ‘having enjoyed’

• सुखम्: happiness
• सुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• बहु: much; abundant
• बहु: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन (सुखम् इति विशेषण)

Speaker

Narrator of the Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa (contextual Purāṇic narrator addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: The enumerated tīrthas/kṣetras (including Vastrāpatha within Prabhāsa network)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous tīrtha landscape where beings who die there are shown rising as radiant subtle forms toward Svarga; below, the sacred river/temple remains calm, indicating peace and assurance.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of a tīrtha is so great that even unintentional contact culminating in death there yields exalted posthumous reward.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

‘Those places’ refers to the previously listed tīrthas (Prayāga, Kurukṣetra, Gayā, Prabhāsa, Puṣkara, Ujjayinī, Vārāṇasī, Mathurā, Vastrāpatha, etc.).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the verse teaches tīrtha-prabhāva (the inherent power of sacred places).