Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

दुःस्वप्नसम्भवैः पापैर्दुर्निमित्तसमुद्भवैः । ग्रहशाकिनिसम्भूतैर्मुच्यते पाण्डुनन्दन

Transliteration

duḥsvapnasambhavaiḥ pāpairdurnimittasamudbhavaiḥ | grahaśākinisambhūtairmucyate pāṇḍunandana

Translation

يا ابنَ باندو، يُعتَق المرء من الآثام الناشئة عن الأحلام السيئة، وعن الطوالع المشؤومة، وعن الأذى المولود من الكواكب ومن الشاكينيات (śākinī).

Word by Word

• duḥsvapna-sambhavaiḥ: arising from bad dreams
• duḥsvapna-sambhavaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥsvapna-sambhava (प्रातिपदिक; दुःस्वप्न + सम्भव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन — 'arising from bad dreams' (qualifying pāpaiḥ)

• pāpaiḥ: from sins
• pāpaiḥ: Apadana (Ablative sense/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन — 'from sins' (instrumental with passive)

• dur-nimitta-samudbhavaiḥ: arising from evil omens
• dur-nimitta-samudbhavaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-nimitta-samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक; दुर् + निमित्त + समुद्भव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन — 'arising from evil omens' (qualifying pāpaiḥ)

• graha-śākini-sambhūtaiḥ: born of ग्रह-spirits and śākinīs
• graha-śākini-sambhūtaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: graha-śākini-sambhūta (प्रातिपदिक; ग्रह + शाकिनी + सम्भूत)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन — 'originating from ग्रहs and śākinīs' (qualifying pāpaiḥ)

• mucyate: is released
• mucyate: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (धातु; मुच्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• pāṇḍu-nandana: O son of Pāṇḍu
• pāṇḍu-nandana: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇḍu-nandana (प्रातिपदिक; पाण्डु + नन्दन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन — संबोधन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha complex (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍunandana

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee seeking relief from nightmares and ominous signs, praying at a riverine shrine; symbolic planets above and shadowy śākinī forms dissolving into light.

Characters & Entities

• Pāṇḍu
• Graha
• Śākinī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-based dharma and devotion are portrayed as protections that cleanse subtle fears and unseen afflictions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The promise is given within Śakratīrtha māhātmya, part of the Narmadā (Revā) pilgrimage tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse itself lists benefits; the immediately preceding context ties these benefits to devotional observance (notably the Kārttika Trayodaśī fast) and tīrtha association.