Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

अज्ञानतिमिरान्धा ये पुमांसः पापकारिणः । युष्मद्विधैर्दीपभूतैः पश्यन्ति सचराचरम्

Transliteration

ajñānatimirāndhā ye pumāṃsaḥ pāpakāriṇaḥ | yuṣmadvidhairdīpabhūtaiḥ paśyanti sacarācaram

Translation

Люди, ослеплённые тьмой неведения и творящие грех, способны узреть весь мир — движущийся и неподвижный — лишь потому, что мудрецы, подобные вам, стоят как светильники просветления.

Word by Word

• अज्ञानतिमिरान्धाः: blinded by the darkness of ignorance
• अज्ञानतिमिरान्धाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अज्ञान + तिमिर + अन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (पुमांसः इत्यस्य)

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

• पुमांसः: men; persons
• पुमांसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्तृपद

• पापकारिणः: sin-doing; evil-doers
• पापकारिणः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप + कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• युष्मद्विधैः: by those like you
• युष्मद्विधैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युष्मद् + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण (दीपभूतैः इत्यस्य)

• दीपभूतैः: who have become lamps (lights)
• दीपभूतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीप + भूत (प्रातिपदिक; √भू (धातु) से क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषण—“दीपवत् भूतैः”

• पश्यन्ति: see
• पश्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• सचराचरम्: the moving and the unmoving (entire world)
• सचराचरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स + चर + अचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (चर + अचर)

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmaputra), addressing Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic tableau: people stumbling in a dark landscape of ignorance, while a sage stands holding a lamp; the light reveals beings and objects—moving and unmoving—signifying awakened perception.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Mārkaṇḍeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sages and realized teachers dispel ignorance; their guidance enables moral clarity and right vision.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is a general praise of saintly guidance within the Revā Khaṇḍa context; no single tīrtha is explicitly named in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the emphasis is on the merit of seeking guidance from the wise.