Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

विशेषाद्यतिधर्मेण तपोलौल्यं समाश्रिताः । नरकं यान्त्यसन्दिग्धमित्येवं शङ्करोऽब्रवीत्

Transliteration

viśeṣādyatidharmeṇa tapolaulyaṃ samāśritāḥ | narakaṃ yāntyasandigdhamityevaṃ śaṅkaro'bravīt

Translation

ବିଶେଷକରି ଯତିଧର୍ମ ଗ୍ରହଣ କରି ମଧ୍ୟ ତପସ୍ୟା ପ୍ରତି ଲୋଭାସକ୍ତି ଧରିଥିବା ଲୋକ ନିଶ୍ଚୟ ନରକକୁ ଯାଆନ୍ତି—ଏହିପରି ଶଙ୍କର କହିଲେ।

Word by Word

• viśeṣāt: especially
• viśeṣāt: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (adverbial ablative: ‘especially’)

• ati-dharmeṇa: by excessive/overdone dharma (austerity)
• ati-dharmeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ati (अव्यय/उपसर्ग) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• tapo-laulyam: greed/obsession for austerity
• tapo-laulyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक) + laulya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• samāśritāḥ: having resorted to
• samāśritāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√śri (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP: समाश्रित), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे विशेषणवत्

• narakam: hell
• narakam: Gati/Karma (Destination as object/गति-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• yānti: go
• yānti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• asandigdham: undoubtedly
• asandigdham: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: a- (नञ्) + sandigdha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण (adverbial accusative: ‘undoubtedly’)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यादि-उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• evam: in this manner
• evam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: ‘in this way’)

• śaṅkaraḥ: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṅkaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrtha context (general)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śaṅkara speaks with uncompromising clarity to a group of renunciants: some sincere, others visibly proud; one performs severe austerity with a self-satisfied gaze; behind them, a shadowy hell motif symbolizes consequence.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara
• Yati-dharma
• Naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity without inner purity—driven by craving, display, or fixation—becomes spiritually harmful rather than liberating.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is ethical instruction within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s Śaiva teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A caution against adopting renunciant disciplines for the wrong motive; tapas must be aligned with dharma and humility.