Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

जपन्नवम्यां विप्रेन्द्रो मुच्यते पापसञ्चयात् । एवं तु कथितं तात पुराणोक्तं महर्षिभिः

Transliteration

japannavamyāṃ viprendro mucyate pāpasañcayāt | evaṃ tu kathitaṃ tāta purāṇoktaṃ maharṣibhiḥ

Translation

إنّ أفضلَ البراهمة، إذا داوم على الجَپَة في اليوم القمري التاسع (نافَمي)، تحرّر من تراكم الآثام. هكذا يا بُنيّ قد أُعلن: هذا هو التعليم البوراني كما نطق به العظماء من الرِّشي.

Word by Word

• जपन्: reciting
• जपन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग (Present active participle; Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• नवम्याम्: on the ninth (lunar day)
• नवम्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नवमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Locative, Singular)

• विप्रेन्द्रः: chief of brāhmaṇas
• विप्रेन्द्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष समास (विप्राणाम् इन्द्रः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive tatpurusha; Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (Present, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada; passive sense: 'is released')

• पापसञ्चयात्: from the accumulation of sins
• पापसञ्चयात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप + सञ्चय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष समास (पापानां सञ्चयः); पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive tatpurusha; Masculine, Ablative, Singular)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक/उपसंहारार्थक (indeclinable adverb: 'thus')

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक निपात (particle: emphasis/contrast)

• कथितम्: told, stated
• कथितम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेष्य)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि (Past passive participle; Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• तात: O dear one / O son
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• पुराणोक्तम्: said in the Purāṇa
• पुराणोक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुराण + उक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (पुराणे उक्तम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Tatpurusha; Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; adjective)

• महर्षिभिः: by the great sages
• महर्षिभिः: Karana (Instrument/Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Plural)

Speaker

Śiva (as narrator of tīrtha-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dhautapāpa

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A addressed ‘tāta’ (dear one) within the narrative; overall audience includes the king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned brāhmaṇa performing japa on navamī beside the sacred waters; above, a lunar calendar motif marks the ninth tithi; sages in the background gesture as if affirming the purāṇic declaration.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Revā (Narmadā)
• Dhautapāpa Tīrtha
• Maharṣis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular japa timed to sacred tithis is upheld as a decisive means to dissolve accumulated karmic impurity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dhautapāpa Tīrtha within the Revā (Narmadā) sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa performed on Navamī for release from pāpa-sañcaya (accumulated sin).