Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 123

Devanagari script

कृत्वा कृच्छ्रत्रयं पूर्वं जप्त्वा लक्षं दशैव तु । शाकयावकभुक्चैव शुचिस्त्रिषवणो नृप

Transliteration

kṛtvā kṛcchratrayaṃ pūrvaṃ japtvā lakṣaṃ daśaiva tu | śākayāvakabhukcaiva śucistriṣavaṇo nṛpa

Translation

«أولًا، بعد أن يؤدي ثلاث كِرِتشْرا من الكفّارات، وبعد أن يلهج بالجَپَا عشرةَ لَكْشا (مليون) مرة؛ مقتاتًا بالخُضَر وبحساء الشعير، محافظًا على الطهارة، مواظبًا على شعائر السَّندهيا الثلاث كلَّ يوم، أيها الملك—»

Word by Word

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Kriya (Action qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tvā (कृत्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• kṛcchra-trayam: three kṛcchra penances
• kṛcchra-trayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛcchra + traya (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: द्विगुसमास (संख्यापूर्वक); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (neuter acc sg)

• pūrvam: previously; first
• pūrvam: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: 'before/first')

• japtvā: having recited
• japtvā: Kriya (Action qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: jap (धातु) + tvā (कृत्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund)

• lakṣam: a lakh (100,000)
• lakṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (neuter acc sg)

• daśa: ten
• daśa: Viśeṣaṇa (Quantifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; संख्याशब्द (numeral, acc sg used adverbially with lakṣam)

• eva: indeed; exactly
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• tu: and; but
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयार्थक-अव्यय (particle: 'but/and then')

• śākayāvaka-bhuk: one who eats vegetables and barley-gruel
• śākayāvaka-bhuk: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śāka + yāvaka + bhuj (धातु) → bhuk (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (उपपद: 'śāka-yāvaka' as object) + कृदन्त 'bhuk' (भुज्-धातोः क्विप्/क्विन्-प्रत्ययान्त, 'eater'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (masc nom sg)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphasis)

• śuciḥ: pure; clean
• śuciḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (masc nom sg)

• triṣavaṇaḥ: (observing) the three daily rites
• triṣavaṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri + savana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (द्विगु-भावेन 'three savanas' → 'one who observes thrice-daily'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (masc nom sg)

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन (masc voc sg)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined votary near the Narmadā: seated with japa-mālā, thin from austerity, with a small pot of yāvaka gruel and a bundle of greens; sunrise-noon-sunset indicated as three sandhyā moments with arghya offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Great spiritual claims are grounded in tapas (austerity), purity, and sustained mantra-discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is part of the Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha-context, preparing the practitioner for the rite associated with the later-mentioned Jvāleśvara-Tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Three Kṛcchra penances, one million mantra recitations, a regulated diet (greens and barley), and tri-sandhyā observance.