Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

विपापान्कुरुते यस्माद्विपापा तेन सा स्मृता । विण्मूत्रनिचयां घोरां पांशुशोणितकर्दमाम्

Transliteration

vipāpānkurute yasmādvipāpā tena sā smṛtā | viṇmūtranicayāṃ ghorāṃ pāṃśuśoṇitakardamām

Translation

ولأنها تُطهِّر الناس من الخطيئة، ذُكِرَت لذلك باسم «فيبابا»؛ مُبيدةُ الآثام. وهي تزيل التراكمات المروِّعة من القذارة—أكوام الغائط والبول—وكذلك وحلًا من الغبار والدم.

Word by Word

• विपापान्: sinless (persons)
• विपापान्: Karma (Object complement to कुरुते)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणरूपेण (of persons) ‘sinless’

• कुरुते: makes, renders
• कुरुते: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• यस्मात्: because (from which reason)
• यस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुं, पञ्चमी (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे ‘because’

• विपापा: sin-removing / making sinless
• विपापा: Pratijna/Predicate nominative
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्/नामरूपेण (of सा)

• तेन: therefore
• तेन: Hetu (Reason)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनस्य अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; हेत्वर्थे ‘therefore’

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• स्मृता: is remembered/called
• स्मृता: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि—‘is called/remembered’

• विण्मूत्रनिचयाम्: a heap of feces and urine
• विण्मूत्रनिचयाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विण् + मूत्र + निचय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (विण्मूत्रयोः निचयः)

• घोराम्: terrible
• घोराम्: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of निचयाम्)

• पांशुशोणितकर्दमाम्: muddy with dust and blood
• पांशुशोणितकर्दमाम्: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पांशु + शोणित + कर्दम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (पांशुशोणितेन कर्दमा/कर्दमवती) विशेषणम् (of निचयाम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Revā Khaṇḍa narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vipāpā (Revā/Narmadā epithet)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees bathe at Revā’s ghat; dark, viscous symbolic impurities (filth, blood-mud) dissolve into clear water, transforming into light; the river remains radiant and untainted.

Characters & Entities

• Vipāpā (Revā/Narmadā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha purifies at every level—moral (pāpa), karmic, and even the most defiling impurities—affirming Narmadā as a powerful means of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā under the epithet ‘Vipāpā’, celebrated for pāpa-nāśa (destruction of sin).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the theme supports tīrtha-snānā and expiatory purification (prāyaścitta) through contact with the river.