Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

तदाप्रभृति तत्तीर्थं स्कन्दतीर्थमिति श्रुतम् । सर्वपापहरं पुण्यं मर्त्यानां भुवि दुर्लभम्

Transliteration

tadāprabhṛti tattīrthaṃ skandatīrthamiti śrutam | sarvapāpaharaṃ puṇyaṃ martyānāṃ bhuvi durlabham

Translation

ومنذ ذلك الحين عُرف ذلك المَعبر المقدّس باسم «سكندا-تيرثا». إنه موضع طاهر يمحو جميع الخطايا، ونادر المنال للبشر على ظهر الأرض.

Word by Word

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'then')

• आप्रभृति: from then onward
• आप्रभृति: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-प्रभृति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भ-सीमा-वाचक (from that time onward)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• तीर्थम्: holy ford; pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma/Pratipadyam (Predicate nominative/कर्म-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• स्कन्दतीर्थम्: Skanda-tīrtha
• स्कन्दतीर्थम्: Karma/Pratipadyam (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Skanda-sya tīrtham); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• इति: thus; as
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्ति-सूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• श्रुतम्: is heard/known (as)
• श्रुतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (heard/known)

• सर्वपापहरम्: removing all sins
• सर्वपापहरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + हर (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/तत्पुरुष-समास (sarva-pāpa-haram = remover of all sins); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पुण्यम्: holy; meritorious
• पुण्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मर्त्यानाम्: of mortals
• मर्त्यानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (gen pl)

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikarana (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक: भुव्/भू)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (loc sg)

• दुर्लभम्: rare; hard to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Kriya (Predicate adjective/विशेष्य-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + लभ (धातु) → दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Skanda-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (rājan/rājendra addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene river-ford newly renowned as Skanda-tīrtha; pilgrims approach with folded hands, the atmosphere charged with sanctity and rarity.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda-tīrtha
• Skanda (eponymous)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places anchored in divine acts become powerful means of purification and merit for ordinary human beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Skanda-tīrtha, a revered tīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā/Revā sacred landscape).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not yet; the verse establishes the tīrtha’s name and sin-destroying power, preparing for the next verse’s rites.