Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

यावद्धि यान्ति लोकेषु महाभूतानि पञ्च च । तावत्ते दिवि मोदन्ते मद्दत्तपरिपालकाः

Transliteration

yāvaddhi yānti lokeṣu mahābhūtāni pañca ca | tāvatte divi modante maddattaparipālakāḥ

Translation

جب تک جہانوں میں پانچ مہابھوت گردش کرتے رہیں، تب تک میرے عطیے کی حفاظت کرنے والے لوگ آسمان میں مسرّت پاتے رہتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• yāvat: as long as / so long as
• yāvat: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध-परिमाण/कालवाचक; correl. particle) — indeclinable correlating with tāvat

• hi: indeed / for
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• yānti: go
• yānti: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (या धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• lokeṣu: in the worlds
• lokeṣu: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (लोक प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• mahābhūtāni: the great elements
• mahābhūtāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + bhūta (महान्/महत् + भूत प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; समासः कर्मधारय (महानि भूतानि)

• pañca: five
• pañca: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक विशेषण; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (mahābhūtāni इति विशेष्येण सह)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक निपात (conjunction)

• tāvat: so long / that long
• tāvat: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative to yāvat)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• divi: in heaven
• divi: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: div (दिव् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• modante: rejoice / delight
• modante: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: mud (मुद् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• mad-datta-paripālakāḥ: protectors of what was given by me
• mad-datta-paripālakāḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mat (अस्मद्) + datta (दा धातोः क्त) + paripālaka (pari+√pāl ण्वुल् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (मया दत्तस्य परिपालकाः)

Speaker

Kṛṣṇa (Hari/Janārdana) speaking (within the narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha sphere (contextual)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor’s grant is guarded by righteous stewards; above, celestial beings rejoice, indicating svarga-phala enduring as long as the elements persist.

Characters & Entities

• Five great elements (pañca-mahābhūta)
• Heaven (Divi)
• Protectors of the grant

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustaining dharma through protection of gifts yields long-lasting merit, measured in cosmic terms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā context continues, emphasizing enduring fruits tied to tīrtha-associated dāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The dharmic duty of paripālana—maintaining and safeguarding a previously made donation.