Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यद्दानं स्नानं देवार्चनं नृप । क्रियते तत्फलं सर्वमक्षयायोपकल्पते

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yaddānaṃ snānaṃ devārcanaṃ nṛpa | kriyate tatphalaṃ sarvamakṣayāyopakalpate

Translation

أيها الملك، كل صدقةٍ واغتسالٍ مقدّسٍ وعبادةٍ للآلهة (الديفا) تُؤدَّى في ذلك التيرثا، فإن ثمرتها كلّها تصير غير نافدة.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — स्थानवाचक adverb of place

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle) — emphasis/contrast

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — relative pronoun agreeing with दानम् etc.

• दानम्: gift/charity
• दानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — nominative/accusative singular

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• देव-अर्चनम्: worship of the gods
• देव-अर्चनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्चन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानाम् अर्चनम्)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — vocative singular

• क्रियते: is done/performed
• क्रियते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल/present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• तत्-फलम्: its fruit/result
• तत्-फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तस्य फलम्)

• सर्वम्: all/entire
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — adjective qualifying तत्फलम्

• अक्षयाय: for imperishability/for an undiminishing (result)
• अक्षयाय: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन — dative singular (purpose)

• उपकल्पते: becomes fit/serves; accrues
• उपकल्पते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-कल्प् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate context continuing into 144.1)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Narmadā tīrtha)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king is instructed by a sage at a river-ford; pilgrims bathe in the Revā, offer flowers and lamps, and distribute gifts; the atmosphere suggests ‘akṣaya’ merit radiating from the tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• tīrtha
• dāna
• snāna
• deva-arcana
• nṛpa (king/listener)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rituals done at a sanctified place become ‘akṣaya’—their merit does not diminish.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha under discussion in Adhyāya 143 is glorified as granting akṣaya-phala.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (charity), snāna (sacred bath), and deva-arcana (worship) at the tīrtha.