Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 168

Devanagari script

सर्वे संतानिकंनाम ब्रह्मलोकादनन्तरम् । वानराश्च स्वकां योनिं राक्षसाश्चापि राक्षसीम्

Transliteration

sarve saṃtānikaṃnāma brahmalokādanantaram | vānarāśca svakāṃ yoniṃ rākṣasāścāpi rākṣasīm

Translation

അവർ എല്ലാവരും ബ്രഹ്മലോകത്തിന് പിന്നാലെയുള്ള ‘സന്താനിക’ എന്ന ലോകം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു; വാനരർ തങ്ങളുടെ ഇഷ്ടയോനി, രാക്ഷസരും രാക്ഷസീ ഗതി പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

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

• सन्तानिकम्: Santānika (realm/name)
• सन्तानिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्तानिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• नाम: called
• नाम: Sambandha (Quotative/नाम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नामनिर्देशक (called)

• ब्रह्मलोकात्: from Brahmaloka
• ब्रह्मलोकात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative); एकवचन; ‘ब्रह्मणः लोकः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after/next
• अनन्तरम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (immediately/next)

• वानराः: monkeys/vānaras
• वानराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वानर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• स्वकाम्: their own
• स्वकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषण (योनिम्)

• योनिम्: womb/birth (species)
• योनिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• राक्षसाः: rākṣasas
• राक्षसाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अप्यर्थ (also)

• राक्षसीम्: rākṣasī (demonic)
• राक्षसीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राक्षसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषण (योनिम्)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Ayodhyāmāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Svargadvāra (implied locus of Santānika doctrine)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A schematic yet poetic vision of realms: Santānika shining just beneath Brahmaloka; streams of souls—humans, Vānaras, Rākṣasas—moving to their respective destinations, guided by divine order.

Characters & Entities

• Santānika-loka
• Brahmaloka
• Vānaras
• Rākṣasas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred merit yields graded destinations: a high realm for the devoted, and fitting outcomes aligned with one’s nature and destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The statement continues the Svargadvāra–Ayodhyā promise, explaining the stature of Santānika-loka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new ritual; it is a results-summary (phala-śruti) describing the hierarchy of attainments.