Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

मासोपवासैरपि शोषिताङ्गा न तां गतिं यान्ति विमुक्तदेहाः । म्रियन्ति रेवाजलपूतकायाः शिवार्चने केशवभावयुक्ताः

Transliteration

māsopavāsairapi śoṣitāṅgā na tāṃ gatiṃ yānti vimuktadehāḥ | mriyanti revājalapūtakāyāḥ śivārcane keśavabhāvayuktāḥ

Translation

حتى الذين أضناهم صومُ شهرٍ حتى هزلت أجسادهم لا يبلغون تلك المنزلة بعد مفارقة الجسد؛ أما الذين طهّرت أجسادهم مياهُ رِيفَا، وماتوا مشتغلين بعبادة شِيفا، وقلبُهم معلّقٌ بكِيشَفَا (فيشنو)، فإنهم يبلغونها.

Word by Word

• māsa-upavāsaiḥ: by month-long fasts
• māsa-upavāsaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक) + upavāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (मासस्य उपवासः)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (even/also)

• śoṣita-aṅgāḥ: with bodies emaciated
• śoṣita-aṅgāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śoṣita (कृदन्त; √śuṣ) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (शोषितानि अङ्गानि येषाम्)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• tām: that
• tām: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; demonstrative used adjectivally

• gatim: state/goal
• gatim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन

• yānti: attain/go
• yānti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• vimukta-dehāḥ: freed from the body (disembodied)
• vimukta-dehāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vimukta (कृदन्त; vi√muc) + deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (विमुक्तः देहः येषाम् / देहात् विमुक्ताः)

• mriyanti: die
• mriyanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √mṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• revā-jala-pūta-kāyāḥ: whose bodies are purified by Revā’s water
• revā-jala-pūta-kāyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: revā (प्रातिपदिक) + jala (प्रातिपदिक) + pūta (कृदन्त; √pū) + kāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (रेवाजलेन पूतः कायः येषाम्)

• śiva-arcane: in the worship of Śiva
• śiva-arcane: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + arcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (शिवस्य अर्चनम्)

• keśava-bhāva-yuktāḥ: endowed with devotion to Keśava
• keśava-bhāva-yuktāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: keśava (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāva (प्रातिपदिक) + yukta (कृदन्त; √yuj)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (केशवे भावेन युक्ताः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee freshly bathed in Narmadā performs Śiva-arcana on the river-bank; within the devotee’s heart-space is Keśava (Viṣṇu) as inner remembrance; above, a radiant path to the highest state is shown, contrasting with ascetics weakened by prolonged fasting.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Śiva
• Keśava (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-grace and integrated devotion (Śiva-pūjā with Viṣṇu-bhāva) can surpass mere physical austerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā (Narmadā) and the purifying power of her waters.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śiva-arcana (worship of Śiva) with Keśava-bhāva (Viṣṇu devotion), and the notion of being purified by Revā-jala.