Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । तिलोदकी तिलस्नायी कामक्रोधविवर्जितः । ब्राह्मणोऽनशनैः प्राणांस्त्यजल्लभति सद्गतिम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tilodakī tilasnāyī kāmakrodhavivarjitaḥ | brāhmaṇo'naśanaiḥ prāṇāṃstyajallabhati sadgatim

Translation

শ্রীমার্কণ্ডেয় বললেন—যে ব্রাহ্মণ তিলজলে জীবনধারণ করে, তিল দিয়ে স্নান করে এবং কাম-ক্রোধবর্জিত—সে অনশনে প্রাণত্যাগ করে সদ্গতি লাভ করে।

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Perfect, Parasmaipada, 3rd person singular

• तिलोदकी: one who uses sesame-water
• तिलोदकी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (तिलयुक्तम् उदकम् यस्य/तिलोदकं पिबति इति—प्रयोगे विशेषण), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular; qualifying the person

• तिलस्नायी: one who bathes with sesame
• तिलस्नायी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक) + स्नायी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (तिलेन स्नायी), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• कामक्रोधविवर्जितः: free from desire and anger
• कामक्रोधविवर्जितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक) + क्रोध (प्रातिपदिक) + विवर्जित (वि + वर्ज् धातु, क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (द्वन्द्वपूर्वपद: काम-क्रोधौ; ताभ्यां विवर्जितः), क्त-कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Past participial adjective, Masculine nominative singular

• ब्राह्मणः: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• अनशनैः: by fasts/through fasting
• अनशनैः: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — Neuter, Instrumental plural

• प्राणान्: life-breaths/life
• प्राणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन — Masculine, Accusative plural

• त्यजत्: abandoning (giving up)
• त्यजत्: Karta (Agent participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Present active participle ‘abandoning’ (sandhi form before ‘लभति’)

• लभति: obtains
• लभति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present, Parasmaipada, 3rd person singular

• सद्गतिम्: good destination
• सद्गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक) + गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (सत् एव गतिः), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative singular

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa ascetic on a riverbank performs sesame-bath, then sits in stillness with a simple water-pot; a small bowl of sesame and water is nearby; his face is calm, suggesting conquest of desire and anger.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity of conduct—restraint of passion and anger—combined with disciplined austerity is praised as a means to auspicious liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse emphasizes vrata and inner discipline; the broader Revā Khaṇḍa context relates to sacred observances connected with the Revā (Narmadā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tilodaka (sesame-water), tilasnāna (sesame-bath), and anaśana (fasting as an end-of-life austerity), along with kāma-krodha restraint.