Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । पादोदकमिदं विष्णोरहं जानामि वै सुराः । दशाश्वमेधावभृथैः स्नानमत्रातिरिच्यते

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | pādodakamidaṃ viṣṇorahaṃ jānāmi vai surāḥ | daśāśvamedhāvabhṛthaiḥ snānamatrātiricyate

Translation

Īśvara sprach: „O Götter, ich weiß gewiss: Dies ist wahrhaft Viṣṇus Fußwasser. Das Bad hier übertrifft das Verdienst der Avabhṛtha-Bäder von zehn Aśvamedha-Opfern.“

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पादोदकम्: the foot-water
• पादोदकम्: Karta (Subject/topic/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda + udaka (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Nominative singular); पाद-उदक = ‘water of the feet’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; सर्वनाम (in apposition to pādodakam)

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• जानामि: know
• जानामि: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (ज्ञा धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle/‘indeed’)

• सुराः: O gods
• सुराः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन/प्रथमा-विभक्ति; बहुवचन (here: Vocative plural, address)

• दशाश्वमेधावभृथैः: by (the merit of) ten Aśvamedha-avabhṛtha baths
• दशाश्वमेधावभृथैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśa + aśvamedha + avabhṛtha (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति; बहुवचन (Instrumental plural); दश- (संख्यापूर्वक) + अश्वमेध-अवभृथ = ‘avabhṛtha (final bath) of Aśvamedha’; द्विगु-समास (numeral compound)

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb/‘here’)

• अतिरिच्यते: is surpassed/exceeded
• अतिरिच्यते: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ati + ric (रिच् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva/Rudra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viṣṇu-pādodaka-snānātireka tīrtha in Revā (as per Revākhaṇḍa)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Surāḥ (the gods), with sages present

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) addresses the assembled gods and sages, pointing toward the luminous water; the riverbank scene feels like a proclamation; listeners attentive, humbled by the declaration of surpassing ten Aśvamedha avabhṛthas.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Viṣṇu
• Devatās
• Aśvamedha
• Avabhṛtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snānā performed in a divinely sanctified place can exceed even grand sacrificial merits—grace can outweigh ritual magnitude.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha sanctified by Viṣṇu’s pādodaka, praised by Śiva as supremely meritorious for bathing.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at this spot is recommended and is declared superior to avabhṛtha baths connected with ten Aśvamedhas.