Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे नरो यस्तु स्नात्वा नियतमानसः । संतर्प्य पितृदेवांश्च पिण्डेन सलिलेन च

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe naro yastu snātvā niyatamānasaḥ | saṃtarpya pitṛdevāṃśca piṇḍena salilena ca

Translation

An jenem Tīrtha: Wer immer, mit gezügeltem Geist, dort badet und die Pitṛs und die Götter mit Piṇḍa-Gaben und Wasser besänftigt,—

Word by Word

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

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

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

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

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund) ‘having bathed’

• नियतमानसः: with restrained mind
• नियतमानसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नियत-मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (नियतं मानसं यस्य)

• संतर्प्य: having satisfied
• संतर्प्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-तृप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund) ‘having satisfied/propitiated’

• पितृदेवान्: the ancestors and the gods
• पितृदेवान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ-देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (पितरश्च देवाश्च)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• पिण्डेन: with a piṇḍa (funeral offering)
• पिण्डेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन

• सलिलेन: with water
• सलिलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सलिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mūlasthāna tīrtha (Narmadā-tīra)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Implied audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at dawn on the Narmadā performs snāna with folded hands, then offers water (añjali) and places piṇḍas on darbha near the riverbank, invoking pitṛs and devas.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Devas
• Sūryatīrtha/Mūlasthāna (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha practice is not only personal purification but also includes duty toward ancestors and gods through offerings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the praise of the same site: Sūryatīrtha/Mūlasthāna on the Narmadā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing (snāna) with mental discipline and performing tarpaṇa to Pitṛs and Devas using piṇḍa and water.