Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

कृमिकीटपतङ्गा ये तत्र तीर्थे युधिष्ठिर । प्राप्नुवन्ति मृताः स्वर्गं किं पुनर्ये नरा मृताः

Transliteration

kṛmikīṭapataṅgā ye tatra tīrthe yudhiṣṭhira | prāpnuvanti mṛtāḥ svargaṃ kiṃ punarye narā mṛtāḥ

Translation

โอ้ ยุธิษฐิระ แม้หนอน แมลง และผีเสื้อกลางคืนที่ตาย ณ ตีรถะนั้นยังได้สวรรค์ แล้วมนุษย์ที่ตายที่นั่นจะยิ่งเพียงใด

Word by Word

• कृमिकीटपतङ्गाः: worms, insects, and birds
• कृमिकीटपतङ्गाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृमि-कीट-पतङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः

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

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• युधिष्ठिर: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• प्राप्नुवन्ति: attain
• प्राप्नुवन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• मृताः: dead
• मृताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• स्वर्गम्: heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Gati/Karma (Goal as object/गति-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• किम्: what (then)
• किम्: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोगः (interrogative particle)

• पुनः: then indeed / moreover
• पुनः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति/अधिक्यवाचक (again/indeed)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• नराः: men
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मृताः: dead
• मृताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Unspecified (addressing Yudhiṣṭhira explicitly)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnamed Revā-tīrtha (within Kusumeśa-mahātmyam)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred river-ford where even tiny insects are shown ascending as lights toward heaven; pilgrims watch with wonder as the tīrtha radiates sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Tīrtha (Kusumeśa, context)
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A supremely sanctified tīrtha elevates all beings; its holiness is measured by the liberation it grants even to the least forms of life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha being praised in this adhyāya is Kusumeśa-tīrtha (Revā Khaṇḍa).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite here; it proclaims the extraordinary salvific power of the tīrtha, especially regarding death at the site.