Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

संन्यासेन मृता ये तु तेषां स्यादक्षया गतिः । अग्निप्रवेशं यः कुर्यात्तस्मिंस्तीर्थे नराधिप

Transliteration

saṃnyāsena mṛtā ye tu teṣāṃ syādakṣayā gatiḥ | agnipraveśaṃ yaḥ kuryāttasmiṃstīrthe narādhipa

Translation

แต่ผู้ที่สิ้นชีวิตในภาวะสันยาส ย่อมได้คติอันไม่เสื่อมสูญ และผู้ใดกระทำการเข้าสู่ไฟ ณ ตีรถะนั้น โอ้พระราชาแห่งมนุษย์—

Word by Word

• संन्यासेन: by renunciation (sannyāsa)
• संन्यासेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संन्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया (instrumental), एकवचन (singular)

• मृताः: dead, having died
• मृताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; मृ धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (nominative), बहुवचन (plural); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

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

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine)/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (contextual), षष्ठी (genitive), बहुवचन (plural)

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• अक्षया: imperishable
• अक्षया: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular); विशेषणम्

• गतिः: destination, state
• गतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• अग्नि-प्रवेशम्: entering into fire
• अग्नि-प्रवेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रवेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन (singular); तत्पुरुषसमास

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• कुर्यात्: should do
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (contextual), सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन (singular)

• तीर्थे: at the pilgrimage-place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन (singular)

• नराधिप: O king
• नराधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन (singular); तत्पुरुषसमास

Speaker

Unspecified Purāṇic narrator (addressing a king: narādhipa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devatīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (narādhipa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene renunciant near the river, calm and detached, contemplating imperishable destiny; a distant ritual fire is shown symbolically as a cautionary motif, with the emphasis on peace and renunciation rather than action.

Characters & Entities

• Devatīrtha
• Agni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Renunciation at life’s end is portrayed as yielding imperishable spiritual attainment; the tīrtha is depicted as exceptionally potent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Devatīrtha in the Revā (Narmadā) tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It mentions saṃnyāsa (renunciant state) and references agni-praveśa (entering fire) as an act associated with the tīrtha’s narrative of results.