Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

धर्ममेवानुतिष्ठंतः पुण्यं विंदंति तत्फलम् । अधर्ममनुतिष्ठंतस्ते पापफलभोगिनः

Transliteration

dharmamevānutiṣṭhaṃtaḥ puṇyaṃ viṃdaṃti tatphalam | adharmamanutiṣṭhaṃtaste pāpaphalabhoginaḥ

Translation

جو لوگ صرف دھرم پر چلتے ہیں وہ پُنّیہ اور اس کا پھل پاتے ہیں؛ اور جو اَدھرم اختیار کرتے ہیں وہ گناہ کے نتائج کے بھوگی بنتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• धर्मम्: dharma, righteousness
• धर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• अनुतिष्ठन्तः: (they) practice / follow
• अनुतिष्ठन्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमा-पुरुषः, बहुवचन; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्तवत् प्रयोगः (Present indicative, 3rd person plural; used as present participial form in nominative plural)

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• विन्दन्ति: find, obtain
• विन्दन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमा-पुरुषः, बहुवचन (Present indicative, 3rd person plural)

• तत्-फलम्: its fruit/result
• तत्-फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (genitive determinative); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• अधर्मम्: unrighteousness, adharma
• अधर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• अनुतिष्ठन्तः: (those who) practice
• अनुतिष्ठन्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमा-पुरुषः, बहुवचन; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्तवत् प्रयोगः (Present indicative, 3rd person plural; used as present participial form in nominative plural)

• ते: they, those
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• पाप-फल-भोगिनः: enjoyers/experiencers of sinful results
• पाप-फल-भोगिनः: Pradhana-predicative (Predicate nominal/विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + भोगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (determinative; 'enjoyers of the fruit of sin'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced from Brahmottarakhaṇḍa context; speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: a calm sage instructs disciples; on one side a path of light labeled Dharma leading upward, on the other a shadowed path labeled Adharma leading downward; subtle imagery of scales of justice and karmic fruits.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma
• Adharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Moral causality is direct: dharmic conduct yields puṇya, while adharmic conduct yields suffering through pāpa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; this is a general dharma-śāstra style teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is behavioral: adhere to Dharma and avoid Adharma to shape one’s karmic outcome.