Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

स्मरणाज्जन्मजनितं दर्शनाच्च त्रिजन्मजम् । सप्तजन्मकृतं नश्येत्पापं रेवावगाहनात्

Transliteration

smaraṇājjanmajanitaṃ darśanācca trijanmajam | saptajanmakṛtaṃ naśyetpāpaṃ revāvagāhanāt

Translation

بِتَذَكُّرِ رِيفَا (Revā) يُمحى الإثمُ المولودُ في هذه الحياة؛ وبِرُؤيَتِها يُمحى إثمُ ثلاثِ حيوات؛ وبالاغتسالِ في رِيفَا يَفنى الإثمُ المُتراكِمُ في سبعِ حيوات.

Word by Word

• स्मरणात्: from remembrance
• स्मरणात्: Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन; Ablative singular (from/by reason of)

• जन्मजनितम्: produced by birth
• जन्मजनितम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + जनित (कृदन्त; √जन् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; past passive participle used adjectivally; ‘born from birth’

• दर्शनात्: from seeing
• दर्शनात्: Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Ablative singular (from seeing)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• त्रिजन्मजम्: arisen from three births
• त्रिजन्मजम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (कृदन्त; √जन् (धातु) + ड)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘born of three births’ (trijanma-ja)

• सप्तजन्मकृतम्: done in seven births
• सप्तजन्मकृतम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृदन्त; √कृ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; past passive participle used adjectivally; ‘done over seven births’

• नश्येत्: would perish
• नश्येत्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada; ‘may perish’

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; here as कर्म (object) of नश्येत्

• रेवावगाहनात्: from immersion in the Reva (Narmada)
• रेवावगाहनात्: Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक) + अवगाहन (प्रातिपदिक; √गाह् (धातु) + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Ablative singular; ‘from bathing/immersion in the Reva’

Speaker

Narrative voice within Revā Khaṇḍa; speaker not explicit in snippet

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed as Pārtha in the surrounding discourse style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous river-goddess Revā flowing between rocky banks; pilgrims on the ghāṭa performing ācamana and entering the water; subtle aura showing sins dissolving as dark smoke dispersing.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Smaraṇa (remembrance)
• Darśana (sight)
• Avagāhana (bathing/immersion)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with a tīrtha operates at levels of mind, sight, and bodily ritual—each progressively intensifying purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā, praised for extraordinary power to destroy sins across multiple lifetimes.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Revā-avaghāna (bathing/immersion) is highlighted as the strongest purifier, alongside darśana (seeing) and smaraṇa (remembrance).