Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 176

Devanagari script

उपपापानि नश्यन्ति स्नानमात्रेण भारत । कार्त्तिकस्य चतुर्दश्यामुपवासपरायणः

Transliteration

upapāpāni naśyanti snānamātreṇa bhārata | kārttikasya caturdaśyāmupavāsaparāyaṇaḥ

Translation

O Bhārata, selbst geringere Sünden vergehen schon durch das bloße Bad (dort). Und am vierzehnten Tag des Kārttika sei man dem Fasten hingegeben.

Word by Word

• उपपापानि: minor sins
• उपपापानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपपाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन (neuter nom pl)

• नश्यन्ति: perish, are destroyed
• नश्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (present, 3rd pl)

• स्नानमात्रेण: by mere bathing
• स्नानमात्रेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन (instr sg); समासः—स्नानमेव मात्रम् (karmadhāraya/tatpurusha usage: 'mere bathing')

• भारत: O Bhārata
• भारत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन (voc sg)

• कार्त्तिकस्य: of Kārttika (month)
• कार्त्तिकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्त्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन (gen sg)

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन (loc sg)

• उपवासपरायणः: devoted to fasting
• उपवासपरायणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उपवास + परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—उपवासे परायणः (devoted to fasting)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (instructional narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata (addressed devotee/kingly interlocutor)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims bathing at dawn on Narmadā; a devotee observing upavāsa on Kārttika caturdaśī, seated with a water-pot and tulasī/flowers, facing a small shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Bhārata
• Kārttika
• caturdaśī
• snāna
• upavāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is joined to discipline: tīrtha-bathing cleanses, while fasting steadies the mind and deepens merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā tīrtha being praised in Revākhaṇḍa, Adhyāya 209.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at the tīrtha, and upavāsa (fasting) on Kārttika caturdaśī.