Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः स्नानं कृत्वा देवं नमस्यति । स मुच्यते नृपश्रेष्ठ महापापैः पुराकृतैः

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snānaṃ kṛtvā devaṃ namasyati | sa mucyate nṛpaśreṣṭha mahāpāpaiḥ purākṛtaiḥ

Translation

An jenem heiligen Tīrtha wird, wer badet und sich dann vor dem Herrn verneigt, o Bester der Könige, von großen, einst begangenen Sünden befreit.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण/adverb of place)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle; emphasis/contrast)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative pronoun)

• स्नानम्: bath
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकाल (having done)

• देवम्: the deity
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• नमस्यति: worships/bows to
• नमस्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नमस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नृपाणां श्रेष्ठः)

• महापापैः: from great sins
• महापापैः: Apadana (Separation/from/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महापाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (महच्च तत् पापम्)

• पुराकृतैः: done formerly
• पुराकृतैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरा + कृत (कृ धातु; क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण; अव्ययीभाव (पुरा कृत = previously done)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (unspecified sub-tīrtha in this verse)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpaśreṣṭha (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-king and attendants at a riverbank tīrtha: the devotee emerges from the water, hands folded, bowing toward a shrine or icon of the Lord near the ghāṭa; sages witness and bless.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅgeśvara Tīrtha (implied)
• Narmadā (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification arises from combining tīrtha-snān (sacred bathing) with humble devotion (namaskāra) to the deity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Liṅgeśvara Tīrtha (from the immediately preceding verse) within the Revā Khaṇḍa sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna at the tīrtha and then bow/worship the deity (devaṃ namasyati) to be freed from past great sins.