Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः स्नात्वा वीक्षेत्कलकलेश्वरम् । वाजपेयात्परं पुण्यं स लभेन्मानवो भुवि

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā vīkṣetkalakaleśvaram | vājapeyātparaṃ puṇyaṃ sa labhenmānavo bhuvi

Translation

Wer an jenem Tīrtha badet und dann Kalkaleśvara schaut, erlangt noch in dieser Welt ein Verdienst, das selbst das des Vājapeya-Opfers übertrifft.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• तु: indeed / but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण/विरोध-अव्यय (particle)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• वीक्षेत्: should behold
• वीक्षेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वीक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Optative, 3rd person singular)

• कल्कलेश्वरम्: Kalkaleśvara (Lord named Kalkala)
• कल्कलेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्कल + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (कल्कलस्य ईश्वरः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• वाजपेयात्: than the Vājapeya (sacrifice)
• वाजपेयात्: Apadana (Comparison-source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाजपेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Ablative, Singular)

• परम्: greater
• परम्: Karma (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

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

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद (Optative, 3rd person singular, Ātmanepada)

• मानवः: a man
• मानवः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक: भुव्/भू)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Locative, Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice; likely Mārkaṇḍeya continuing the Revā-khaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kalkaleśvara-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim bathes at the river tīrtha, then approaches the Kalkaleśvara liṅga for darśana; the scene subtly contrasts simple devotion with the grandeur of a Vājapeya sacrifice in the background as a symbolic comparison.

Characters & Entities

• Kalkaleśvara
• Tīrtha
• Vājapeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage performed with purity—snāna and darśana—can yield spiritual merit greater than grand Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha of Kalkaleśvara in the Revā (Narmadā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at the tīrtha followed by darśana (beholding) of Kalkaleśvara.