Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे मृतानां तु जन्तूनां सर्वदा किल । अनिवर्तिका भवेत्तेषां गतिस्तु शिवमन्दिरात्

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe mṛtānāṃ tu jantūnāṃ sarvadā kila | anivartikā bhavetteṣāṃ gatistu śivamandirāt

Translation

แท้จริง สัตว์ทั้งหลายที่ตาย ณ ตีรถะนั้น วิถีของเขากล่าวกันว่าไม่หวนกลับอีก; ชะตาคือมุ่งจากศิวาลัยไปข้างหน้า—ไม่กลับสู่ภพต่ำ

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/देशवाचक) — indeclinable adverb of place

• तीर्थे: at the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन — neuter, locative singular

• मृतानाम्: of the dead
• मृतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √मृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन — masculine, genitive plural; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) used substantively ‘of the dead’

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle

• जन्तूनाम्: of beings/creatures
• जन्तूनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन — masculine, genitive plural

• सर्वदा: always
• सर्वदा: Kala-adhikarana (Time setting/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — indeclinable adverb of time

• किल: indeed/it is said
• किल: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; प्रसिद्ध्यर्थ/श्रुत्यर्थ) — particle indicating report/indeed

• अनिवर्तिका: non-returning/irreversible
• अनिवर्तिका: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनिवर्तिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — feminine, nominative singular; विशेषण of ‘गतिः’

• भवेत्: would be/should become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — optative, parasmaipada, 3rd sg

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन — masculine, genitive plural (of them)

• गतिः: destination/going
• गतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — feminine, nominative singular

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle

• शिवमन्दिरात्: from Śiva’s temple
• शिवमन्दिरात्: Apadana (Source/अपाादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव-मन्दिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन — neuter, ablative singular; समास: शिवस्य मन्दिरम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from passage continuity)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: (Unnamed in this verse) Revā-tīrtha of chapter 175

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājendra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene depiction of a departing soul at a riverbank tīrtha, guided by Śiva’s attendants toward a luminous Śiva-mandira realm, emphasizing peace and non-return.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A supremely sanctified place is portrayed as granting an exalted, non-returning destiny aligned with Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha described as so holy that death there is linked with an irreversible auspicious passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new ritual is prescribed; the verse states the tīrtha’s extraordinary soteriological potency regarding death at the site.