Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

तीर्थस्नानेन मे शुद्धिर्यथा स्यात्तद्वद स्फुटम् । तच्च गंगादिकं कृष्ण यथाऽस्याघस्य नाशनम्

Transliteration

tīrthasnānena me śuddhiryathā syāttadvada sphuṭam | tacca gaṃgādikaṃ kṛṣṇa yathā'syāghasya nāśanam

Translation

“তীর্থস্নানে আমি কীভাবে শুদ্ধি লাভ করব তা স্পষ্ট করে বলুন; আর হে কৃষ্ণ, গঙ্গা প্রভৃতি তীর্থ কীভাবে এই পাপ নাশ করে, তাও বলুন।”

Word by Word

• तीर्थस्नानेन: by bathing at a sacred place
• तीर्थस्नानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ-स्नान (प्रातिपदिक; तीर्थ + स्नान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमास (तीर्थे स्नानम्)

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• शुद्धिः: purification
• शुद्धिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (comparative/‘as, just as’)

• स्यात्: may be / would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तद्वत्: likewise
• तद्वत्: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद्वत् (अव्यय; तद् + वत्)
• Form: अव्यय; तुल्यतावाचक (likewise)

• स्फुटम्: clearly
• स्फुटम्: Avyaya (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्फुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावे नपुंसक-एकवचनरूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: clearly)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• गंगादिकम्: the Ganga and the like (sacred rivers)
• गंगादिकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा-आदि (प्रातिपदिक; गङ्गा + आदि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमास (गङ्गा च आदि च)

• कृष्ण: O Krishna
• कृष्ण: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• यथा: as
• यथा: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/उपमानवाचक (as)

• अस्य: of this (person)
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अघस्य: of sin
• अघस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• नाशनम्: destruction (removal)
• नाशनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाशन (प्रातिपदिक; √नश् (धातु) + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कृदन्त (ल्युट्-प्रत्ययान्त)

Speaker

Nara (the man / petitioner)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (referenced) and ‘other tīrthas’; target tīrtha to be specified as Prācī Sarasvatī

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A seeker asks Kṛṣṇa to explain clearly the purification obtained by bathing at tīrthas, specifically how Gaṅgā and other sacred waters destroy sin.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is sought through dhārmic means—especially tīrtha-snāna—when guided by proper understanding and faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā is referenced as a benchmark; the chapter’s focus turns to Prācī Sarasvatī as an especially potent purifier.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing (snāna) at a tīrtha is the stated practice; details and the chosen tīrtha are clarified in the following verses.