Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

कीटाः पिपीलिकाश्चैव ये चान्ये मृगपक्षिणः । कालेन निधनं प्राप्ताः स्वर्गद्वारे शृणु द्विज

Transliteration

kīṭāḥ pipīlikāścaiva ye cānye mṛgapakṣiṇaḥ | kālena nidhanaṃ prāptāḥ svargadvāre śṛṇu dvija

Translation

Côn trùng, kiến, cùng các loài thú và chim khác nữa—những kẻ đến lúc mạng chung tại Svargadvāra—hãy lắng nghe, hỡi bậc nhị sinh.

Word by Word

• kīṭāḥ: Worms
• kīṭāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kīṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• pipīlikāḥ: Ants
• pipīlikāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pipīlikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• ca: And
• ca: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• eva: Indeed/Also
• eva: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (Emphasis)

• ye: Who/Those
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• ca: And
• ca: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• anye: Others
• anye: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• mṛgapakṣiṇaḥ: Animals and birds
• mṛgapakṣiṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛgapakṣin (mṛga-pakṣin)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• kālena: By time/In due course
• kālena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• nidhanam: Death/Destruction
• nidhanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nidhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• prāptāḥ: Obtained/Reached
• prāptāḥ: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāpta (pra-āp)
• Form: Past Passive Participle, Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• svargadvāre: At the gate of heaven
• svargadvāre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svargadvāra (svarga-dvāra)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• śṛṇu: Listen
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: Lot Lakara (Imperative), Madhyama Purusha (2nd), Singular

• dvija: O Twice-born (Brahmin)
• dvija: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (Sambodhana), Singular

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced; Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa dialogue style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Svargadvāra (Ayodhyā)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija (a brāhmaṇa interlocutor addressed as ‘śṛṇu dvija’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the Sarayū bank at Svargadvāra, tiny insects and ants, along with deer and birds, gather near a sanctified marker; a gentle radiance rises as time brings natural death, suggesting unseen uplift; a brāhmaṇa listener is addressed.

Characters & Entities

• Svargadvāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The purifying potency of a tīrtha is portrayed as affecting even non-human beings who die within its sacred boundary.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Svargadvāra in Ayodhyā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it underscores the place-based merit irrespective of species.