Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

त्र्यापं हि कुरुते विप्र उल्लेखत्रयमाचरेत् । चतुर्थं कारयेद्यस्तु ब्रह्महत्यां व्यपोहति

Transliteration

tryāpaṃ hi kurute vipra ullekhatrayamācaret | caturthaṃ kārayedyastu brahmahatyāṃ vyapohati

Translation

Ein Brāhmaṇa soll den dreifachen Wasser-Ritus vollziehen und die dreifache Übung des „Zeichnens/Rezitiers“ ausführen. Wer sie jedoch ein viertes Mal vollzieht, vertreibt sogar die Sünde der brahma-hatyā, des schwersten Tötens.

Word by Word

• त्र्यापम्: the ‘three-waters’ rite (triple water act)
• त्र्यापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्या) + आप् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (त्रयः आपः/आपः-सम्बद्धम्)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• विप्र: O brāhmaṇa
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उल्लेखत्रयम्: three ‘ullekha’ acts
• उल्लेखत्रयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उल्लेख (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः उल्लेखानां त्रयम् (तत्पुरुष)

• आचरेत्: should practice/perform
• आचरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ+चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चतुर्थम्: a fourth (one)
• चतुर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (कर्मपदं—‘उल्लेख’ इत्यादेः)

• कारयेत्: should cause to be done
• कारयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) [णिच्]
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative: cause to do)

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

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अवधारणार्थक निपात (but/indeed)

• ब्रह्महत्याम्: brahmin-slaying (sin)
• ब्रह्महत्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महत्यā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः ब्राह्मणस्य हत्या (तत्पुरुष)

• व्यपोहति: removes/dispels
• व्यपोहति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि+अप+ऊह्/अपोह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Revā Khaṇḍa dharma-instruction passage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (threefold and fourth-round prāyaścitta)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa at the river performs repeated water-rites in four cycles; the fourth is depicted with intensified austerity—closed eyes, steady posture—while dark ‘sin-clouds’ dissolve into clear light above the water.

Characters & Entities

• Vipra
• Āpaḥ (water rite)
• Brahma-hatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual discipline and repetition in purification practices intensify spiritual cleansing, even against the gravest demerit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Revā (Narmadā) dharma-context is implied; the chapter teaches rites suited to sacred river practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A threefold water-rite and threefold ‘ullekha’; performing a fourth repetition is said to remove brahma-hatyā.