Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

भ्रातर्गालवशापस्य घोरस्यास्य निवृत्तये । तीर्थेऽस्मिन्नचिरात्स्नाहि सर्वतीर्थोत्तमोत्तमे

Transliteration

bhrātargālavaśāpasya ghorasyāsya nivṛttaye | tīrthe'sminnacirātsnāhi sarvatīrthottamottame

Translation

«يا أخي، لإنهاء لعنة غالافا (Gālava) الرهيبة، اغتسل سريعًا في هذا المَعبر المقدّس—فهو الأسمى، والأفضل بين جميع التيـرثات (tīrtha).»

Word by Word

• भ्रातः: O brother
• भ्रातः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Vocative singular masculine

• गालवशापस्य: of Gālava’s curse
• गालवशापस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव (प्रातिपदिक) + शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गालवस्य शापः)

• घोरस्य: terrible
• घोरस्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular; विशेषणम् (शापस्य)

• अस्य: of this (curse)
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular pronoun

• निवृत्तये: for cessation/removal
• निवृत्तये: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4/चतुर्थी), एकवचन — Dative singular (purpose)

• तीर्थे: in the sacred ford
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular pronoun

• अचिरात्: soon, without delay
• अचिरात्: Kala-adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अचिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — Indeclinable adverb of time

• स्नाहि: bathe
• स्नाहि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Imperative 2nd person singular

• सर्वतीर्थोत्तमोत्तमे: O best of the best among all tīrthas
• सर्वतीर्थोत्तमोत्तमे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Vocative singular; समासः (सर्वतीर्थेषु उत्तमः) + उत्तमोत्तम (अतिशय-उत्तम)

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative context within Setukhaṇḍa; a brother addressing his brother)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu-tīrtha (Setubandha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/Ṛṣis (addressed as ‘viprāḥ’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A compassionate adviser addresses a ‘brother’ under a dreadful curse, pointing toward the oceanic Setu-tīrtha; the ford glows as ‘best of all tīrthas,’ inviting immediate bathing.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When approached with faith, tīrtha-snāna is presented as a dhārmic remedy capable of dissolving even severe karmic afflictions like curses.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A supremely praised tīrtha within the Setukhaṇḍa narrative, later identified in this passage as Vetāla-varadā Tīrtha near Cakratīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Immediate snāna (ritual bathing) in the tīrtha as the means to end the curse.