Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । आश्चर्यभूतं लोकेऽस्मिन्कथयस्व द्विजोत्तम । प्रविशेन्न ब्रह्महत्या यथा वै धौतपाप्मनि

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | āścaryabhūtaṃ loke'sminkathayasva dvijottama | praviśenna brahmahatyā yathā vai dhautapāpmani

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: O Bester der Zweimalgeborenen, berichte mir dieses Wunder in der Welt: Wie kommt es, dass die Sünde des Brahmanenmordes nicht in Dhauta-pāpa eintritt?

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिर: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिर: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधि + स्थिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular; बहुव्रीहि

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd sg, Parasmaipada

• आश्चर्यभूतम्: something wondrous
• आश्चर्यभूतम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आश्चर्य + भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूत), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular; कर्मधारय (आश्चर्यं भूतम्)

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Masculine, Locative singular

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Masculine, Locative singular (demonstrative pronoun)

• कथयस्व: tell (me)
• कथयस्व: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु, णिच्)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — Imperative, 2nd sg, Ātmanepada

• द्विजोत्तम: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन — Masculine, Vocative singular; तत्पुरुष (द्विजानाम् उत्तमः)

• प्रविशेत्: should enter
• प्रविशेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + विश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd sg

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध) — negation

• ब्रह्महत्या: brahmin-slaying (sin)
• ब्रह्महत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + हत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative singular

• यथा: how/so that
• यथा: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान/प्रकारवाचक) — ‘how/as’

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — emphatic particle

• धौतपाप्मनि: in (the place/person) whose sin is washed away
• धौतपाप्मनि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धौत + पाप्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Masculine, Locative singular; कर्मधारय (धौतं पाप्मा यस्मिन्/धौतपाप्मा)

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dhauta-pāpa

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijottama (brāhmaṇa teacher/narrator)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, attentive and composed, questions a venerable brāhmaṇa-sage on a riverbank; the ford glimmers behind them, hinting at hidden power.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Mārkaṇḍeya (implied listener)
• Dhauta-pāpa Tīrtha
• Brahmahatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharmic inquiry is honored—one should seek the reason behind tīrtha-glories rather than accept them blindly.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dhauta-pāpa tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a question inviting the origin-story and theological explanation.