Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

अतिथिरुवाच । यदेतत्परलोकस्य स्वरूपं व्याहृतं त्वया । आगमं समुपाश्रित्य तत्तथैव न संशयः

Transliteration

atithiruvāca | yadetatparalokasya svarūpaṃ vyāhṛtaṃ tvayā | āgamaṃ samupāśritya tattathaiva na saṃśayaḥ

Translation

阿底提（Atithi）说道：“你依诸《阿伽摩》（Āgama）所阐明的彼世真实体相，确然如是，毫无疑惑。”

Word by Word

• atithiḥ: the guest
• atithiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: atithi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; nominative singular

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः, परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; perfect, 3rd sg

• yat: which/that (what)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्; relative pronoun, accusative singular

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्; demonstrative accusative singular (apposition to yat)

• paralokasya: of the next world
• paralokasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paraloka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम्; genitive singular

• svarūpam: nature/form
• svarūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्; accusative singular

• vyāhṛtam: uttered/explained
• vyāhṛtam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + ā + hṛ (धातु) → vyāhṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; past passive participle; agreeing with svarūpam

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया एकवचनम्; instrumental singular

• āgamam: scripture/tradition
• āgamam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्; accusative singular

• samupāśritya: having relied upon
• samupāśritya: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam + upa + ā + śri (धातु) → upāśritya (कृदन्त-अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (absolutive/gerund)

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; nominative singular (correlative)

• tathā: so/thus
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; adverb

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्ययम्; emphatic particle

• na: no/not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्ययम्; negation

• saṃśayaḥ: doubt
• saṃśayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; nominative singular

Speaker

Atithi

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Atithi, with folded hands, acknowledges the teacher’s āgama-grounded explanation; a manuscript and Śaiva symbols (tripuṇḍra, rudrākṣa) indicate tradition.

Characters & Entities

• Atithi
• Āgama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Scriptural testimony (Āgama) is affirmed as a reliable guide for understanding the unseen realities of the afterlife.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a doctrinal lead-in to karmaphala teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse emphasizes epistemic authority—reliance on Āgama—rather than a ritual act.