Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

अहोरात्रोषितो भूत्वा मुच्यते सर्वकिल्बिषैः । दानं च विधिवद्दत्त्वा यथाशक्त्या द्विजोत्तमे

Transliteration

ahorātroṣito bhūtvā mucyate sarvakilbiṣaiḥ | dānaṃ ca vidhivaddattvā yathāśaktyā dvijottame

Translation

Wer dort einen Tag und eine Nacht verweilt, wird von allen Verfehlungen befreit. Und nachdem er Dāna ordnungsgemäß gegeben hat, nach seiner Kraft, einem vortrefflichen Brāhmaṇa—

Word by Word

• अहोरात्रोषितः: having stayed for a day and night
• अहोरात्रोषितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अहोरात्र (प्रातिपदिक; अहन्+रात्रि) + उषित (√वस्/उष् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः; अहोरात्रे उषितः इति सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः (one who has stayed for a day and night)

• भूत्वा: having become; after being
• भूत्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तम् (gerund); पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having become/after being)

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (is released)

• सर्वकिल्बिषैः: from all sins
• सर्वकिल्बिषैः: Apadana (Ablative sense via instrumental/Removal source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + किल्बिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/अपादान-हेतु/करण), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (सर्वाणि किल्बिषाणि)

• दानम्: a gift; charity
• दानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः (conjunction)

• विधिवत्: properly; according to injunction
• विधिवत्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधिवत् (अव्यय; विधि+वत्)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb: according to rule)

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तम् (gerund); पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having given)

• यथाशक्त्या: according to one’s capacity
• यथाशक्त्या: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; तृतीया-एकवचन-रूपेण (instrumental singular used adverbially: 'according to ability')

• द्विजोत्तमे: O best of the twice-born (Brahmin)
• द्विजोत्तमे: Sambodhana/Address (Vocative sense; contextually)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण) एकवचन (पाठानुसार); तत्पुरुषः/कर्मधारयः (द्विजानाम् उत्तमः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Amareśvara kṣetra (Revā bank)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata (addressed in adjacent verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims camp on a riverbank ghat through day and night: daytime bathing and worship, nighttime lamp offerings; a respectful dāna scene where a pilgrim offers cloth/food/cowrie/coins to a seated learned brāhmaṇa near the Amareśvara shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Amareśvara
• Dāna
• Dvijottama (excellent brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage bears fruit when joined with disciplined conduct—staying with reverence and practicing dāna purifies the pilgrim.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Amareśvara and its tīrtha-region (within the Amarakanṭaka/Narmadā sacred landscape).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ahorātra-vāsa (staying one day and night) and vidhivat dāna (proper charity) to a worthy dvijottama, according to one’s means.