Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

संकर्षणमिति ख्यातं पृथिव्यां पापनाशनम् । तपश्चीर्णं पुरा राजन्बलभद्रेण तत्र वै

Transliteration

saṃkarṣaṇamiti khyātaṃ pṛthivyāṃ pāpanāśanam | tapaścīrṇaṃ purā rājanbalabhadreṇa tatra vai

Translation

হে রাজন, সেই স্থান পৃথিবীতে ‘সঙ্কর্ষণ’ নামে খ্যাত, পাপনাশক। সেখানে প্রাচীনকালে বলভদ্র সত্যই তপস্যা করেছিলেন।

Word by Word

• संकर्षणम्: Saṃkarṣaṇa (name)
• संकर्षणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संकर्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• इति: thus/as
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Quotative particle)

• ख्यातम्: is renowned/called
• ख्यातम्: Kriya (Predicative action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ख्या (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे 'is renowned/called'

• पृथिव्याम्: on earth
• पृथिव्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पापनाशनम्: sin-destroying
• पापनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप-नाशन (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + नाशन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् संकर्षणम्-शब्दस्य

• तपः: austerity/penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; समासे पूर्वपदम्

• चीर्णम्: performed
• चीर्णम्: Kriya (Predicative action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'performed'

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb) — 'formerly/once'

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• बलभद्रेण: by Balabhadra
• बलभद्रेण: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलभद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb) — 'there'

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Particle) — emphasis/assurance

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; likely Mārkaṇḍeya continuing instruction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Saṃkarṣaṇa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene riverbank grove where Balabhadra performed austerities: Balarāma with plough (hala) and palm-flag (tāla-dhvaja) set aside, seated in meditation; the Narmadā flows nearby, the air charged with purification.

Characters & Entities

• Saṃkarṣaṇa
• Balabhadra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places sanctified by tapas (austerity) become powerful for pāpa-kṣaya (destruction of sin) and uplift pilgrims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha known as “Saṃkarṣaṇa,” within the Revā (Narmadā) sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the verse establishes the tīrtha’s fame and Balabhadra’s austerity as its sanctifying basis.