Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

संकर्षणमिति ख्यातं पृथिव्यां पापनाशनम् । तपश्चीर्णं पुरा राजन्बलभद्रेण तत्र वै

Transliteration

saṃkarṣaṇamiti khyātaṃ pṛthivyāṃ pāpanāśanam | tapaścīrṇaṃ purā rājanbalabhadreṇa tatra vai

Translation

أيها الملك، إن ذلك الموضع المقدّس مشهور في الأرض باسم «سَمْكَرْشَنَة»، مُبيدًا للآثام. وهناك، في سالف الزمان، قام بالابهَدْرَة حقًّا بالتقشّف (تَبَس).

Word by Word

• संकर्षणम्: Saṃkarṣaṇa (name)
• संकर्षणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संकर्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• इति: thus/as
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Quotative particle)

• ख्यातम्: is renowned/called
• ख्यातम्: Kriya (Predicative action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ख्या (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे 'is renowned/called'

• पृथिव्याम्: on earth
• पृथिव्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पापनाशनम्: sin-destroying
• पापनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप-नाशन (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + नाशन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् संकर्षणम्-शब्दस्य

• तपः: austerity/penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; समासे पूर्वपदम्

• चीर्णम्: performed
• चीर्णम्: Kriya (Predicative action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'performed'

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb) — 'formerly/once'

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• बलभद्रेण: by Balabhadra
• बलभद्रेण: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलभद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb) — 'there'

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Particle) — emphasis/assurance

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; likely Mārkaṇḍeya continuing instruction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Saṃkarṣaṇa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene riverbank grove where Balabhadra performed austerities: Balarāma with plough (hala) and palm-flag (tāla-dhvaja) set aside, seated in meditation; the Narmadā flows nearby, the air charged with purification.

Characters & Entities

• Saṃkarṣaṇa
• Balabhadra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places sanctified by tapas (austerity) become powerful for pāpa-kṣaya (destruction of sin) and uplift pilgrims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha known as “Saṃkarṣaṇa,” within the Revā (Narmadā) sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the verse establishes the tīrtha’s fame and Balabhadra’s austerity as its sanctifying basis.