Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

ईदृग्गुणा हि ये विप्रा भवन्ति नृपसत्तम । पतितान्नरके घोरे तारयन्ति पित्ःंस्तु ते

Transliteration

īdṛgguṇā hi ye viprā bhavanti nṛpasattama | patitānnarake ghore tārayanti pitḥṃstu te

Translation

Hỡi bậc vương giả tối thượng, các Bà-la-môn có những đức hạnh như vậy quả thật có thể độ thoát cả các pitṛ (tổ tiên) đã sa vào địa ngục ghê rợn.

Word by Word

• ईदृक्-गुणाः: of such qualities
• ईदृक्-गुणाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ईदृश्/ईदृक् (प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय: ‘such qualities’/‘having such qualities’

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• विप्राः: brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• भवन्ति: are/become
• भवन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• नृपसत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (best among kings)

• पतितान्: the fallen (persons)
• पतितान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पतित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त-विशेष्य (fallen ones)

• नरके: in hell
• नरके: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• घोरे: terrible
• घोरे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; नरके इति विशेषण

• तारयन्ति: deliver/save
• तारयन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु) (तारयति-णिच्)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)

• पितॄन्: ancestors/fathers
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात (but/indeed)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa-sattama / Nṛpottama (royal listener; within Pāṇḍava address-frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A compassionate tableau: a virtuous brāhmaṇa’s radiance reaching downward to shadowy ancestral figures being lifted from a dark naraka landscape toward light.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Personal virtue has transgenerational spiritual impact; dharmic living is portrayed as capable of uplifting one’s lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the broader Bhārabhūti tīrtha narrative by highlighting dharmic potency.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the emphasis is on cultivating virtues that yield even pitṛ-benefit.