Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 143

Devanagari script

शृण्वतां धर्ममाख्यानं ध्यायतां हरकेशवौ । न तां बहुसुवर्णेन क्रतुना गतिमाप्नुयुः

Transliteration

śṛṇvatāṃ dharmamākhyānaṃ dhyāyatāṃ harakeśavau | na tāṃ bahusuvarṇena kratunā gatimāpnuyuḥ

Translation

جو لوگ دھرم کی یہ حکایت سنتے ہیں اور ہَر (شیو) و کیشو (وشنو) کا دھیان کرتے ہیں، وہی روحانی مقام بہت سا سونا لگا کر کیے گئے کرتو (یجّ) سے بھی حاصل نہیں ہوتا۔

Word by Word

• śṛṇvatām: of those who listen
• śṛṇvatām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śru (धातु) + śṛṇvat (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Present participle (शतृ/śatṛ) used as noun; Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

• dharma-ākhyānam: the discourse/story of dharma
• dharma-ākhyānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Samāsa: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध) 'narration of dharma'; Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• dhyāyatām: of those who meditate
• dhyāyatām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhyai (धातु) + dhyāyat (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Present participle (शतृ/śatṛ) used as noun; Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

• hara-keśavau: Hara and Keśava
• hara-keśavau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hara (प्रातिपदिक) + keśava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Samāsa: Dvandva (इतरेतर); Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Dual

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Niṣedha-avyaya (निषेध-अव्यय)

• tām: that
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; refers to 'gatim'

• bahu-suvarṇena: with much gold
• bahu-suvarṇena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + suvarṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Samāsa: Karmadhāraya (विशेषण-विशेष्य) 'much gold'; Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• kratunā: by a sacrifice/ritual
• kratunā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kratu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• gatim: goal/state
• gatim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• āpnuyuḥ: might attain
• āpnuyuḥ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु)
• Form: Liṅ-lakāra (लिङ्/Optative), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Plural

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Revā Khaṇḍa māhātmya instruction)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A paurāṇika narrator recites dharma-ākhyāna to an attentive audience; above them, Śiva and Viṣṇu appear as a unified blessing; piles of gold and ritual vessels are shown off to the side as inferior.

Characters & Entities

• Hara (Śiva)
• Keśava (Viṣṇu)
• Dharma-ākhyāna
• Kratu (sacrifice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (hearing sacred dharma) and dhyāna (meditation on Hari-Hara) grant a higher destiny than costly ritualism.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) sacred landscape where this dharma narration is being taught as part of its māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Listening to dharma-ākhyāna and meditating on Śiva and Viṣṇu (Hari-Hara dhyāna).