Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 159

Devanagari script

ऐकपद्येन तान्येव कलां नार्हंति षोडशीम् । संग्रामे पतितानां च सर्वशास्त्रेष्वयं विधिः

Transliteration

aikapadyena tānyeva kalāṃ nārhaṃti ṣoḍaśīm | saṃgrāme patitānāṃ ca sarvaśāstreṣvayaṃ vidhiḥ

Translation

Walau hanya dengan satu “suku langkah”, segala pahala itu tidak layak menyamai walau satu per enam belas daripada pahala mereka yang gugur di medan perang. Ketetapan ini ditegaskan dalam semua śāstra tentang mereka yang terbunuh dalam peperangan.

Word by Word

• ऐकपद्येन: by a single quarter/one part (of a verse)
• ऐकपद्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऐकपद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे), तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करणवाचक (instrumental)

• तानि: those (acts)
• तानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात

• कलाम्: a fraction/part
• कलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• अर्हन्ति: are worthy/amount to
• अर्हन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• षोडशीम्: the sixteenth part (full measure)
• षोडशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षोडशिन्/षोडशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेष्य-रूपे (षोडशी-कला)

• संग्रामे: in battle
• संग्रामे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• पतितानाम्: of those who have fallen
• पतितानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; "fallen/slain" जनानाम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• सर्वशास्त्रेषु: in all scriptures
• सर्वशास्त्रेषु: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (सर्वाणि शास्त्राणि)

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विधिः: rule/injunction
• विधिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic balance-scale: on one side, icons of pilgrimage, Veda, pūjā, yajña; on the other, a single fallen hero with a radiant aura outweighing them all; above, a scroll reading ‘sarvaśāstreṣu’ held by a sage.

Characters & Entities

• Śāstra
• Saṃgrāma
• Tīrtha (implied from prior verse)
• Veda (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It ranks merits by asserting that falling in dharmic battle yields an exceptionally high fruit, surpassing many standard religious merits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named; pilgrimage is referenced generally, within the Kedāra framework of Māheśvarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new ritual is prescribed; it states a comparative doctrine of spiritual results (phala) recognized across śāstras.