Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

आत्मा पुनाति पापानि यदि पापान्निवर्तते । एवमेव समाचारं प्रादुर्भूतं ततस्ततः

Transliteration

ātmā punāti pāpāni yadi pāpānnivartate | evameva samācāraṃ prādurbhūtaṃ tatastataḥ

Translation

إنّ الذات (الآتمن) تُطهِّر الخطايا حين يرتدّ المرء عن الأفعال الآثمة. وهكذا ظهر السلوك القويم مرارًا وتكرارًا، في موضعٍ بعد موضع.

Word by Word

• आत्मा: the self
• आत्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पुनाति: purifies
• पुनाति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• पापानि: sins
• पापानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional: if)

• पापात्: from sin
• पापात्: Apādāna (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• निवर्तते: turns back/ceases
• निवर्तते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (thus)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (only/indeed)

• समाचारम्: right conduct
• समाचारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समाचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रादुर्भूतम्: manifested/arisen
• प्रादुर्भूतम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + आदुर् + भू (धातु) → प्रादुर्भूत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ततः: thereafter/from that
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: तद्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय, अपादान/क्रमवाचक (from there/thereafter)

• ततः: again thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरुक्ति (thereafter again)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ātma-tīrtha (inner tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A figure turns away from dark, chaotic imagery of vice toward a luminous path marked by footprints of dharma; multiple landscapes (village, forest, riverbank) show ‘right conduct’ arising everywhere.

Characters & Entities

• ātmā
• pāpa
• samācāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Real purification begins with stopping wrongdoing; inner reform is the core of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse universalizes purification through ethical restraint.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The ‘prescription’ is pāpa-nivṛtti—refraining from sin—presented as the decisive purifier.