Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । नदीषु देवखातेषु तडागेषु सरित्सु च । स्नानं समाचरेन्नित्यं नरः पापैः प्रमुच्यते

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | nadīṣu devakhāteṣu taḍāgeṣu saritsu ca | snānaṃ samācarennityaṃ naraḥ pāpaiḥ pramucyate

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: In Flüssen, in den Devakhāta-Becken, in Teichen und in Bächen soll der Mensch regelmäßig baden; so wird er von Sünden befreit.

Word by Word

• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Mārkaṇḍeya
• mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• nadīṣu: in rivers
• nadīṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• devakhāteṣu: in divine tanks/dug pools
• devakhāteṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva + khāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (devānām khātam)

• taḍāgeṣu: in ponds
• taḍāgeṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taḍāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन; अधिकरण

• saritsu: in streams
• saritsu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन; अधिकरण

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• samācaret: should practice/perform
• samācaret: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + ā + car (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• nityam: always
• nityam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative)

• naraḥ: a man/person
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• pāpaiḥ: from sins
• pāpaiḥ: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; अपादानार्थे (ablatival sense with passive)

• pramucyate: is freed
• pramucyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devakhāta (as category and as named tīrtha)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpa) in the Revā-khaṇḍa narrative frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya instructs a king beside a riverbank; behind them are varied water-bodies—river current, a stone-lined devakhāta pool, a village tank, and a small stream—each with pilgrims bathing at dawn.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Devakhāta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular sacred bathing is presented as a practical dharma that purifies sin and aligns life with tīrtha-sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Devakhāta is explicitly named, alongside rivers and other water-bodies in the Revā region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform nitya-snāna (regular/daily bathing) in sacred waters, especially Devakhāta.