Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

पापकर्मा ततो ज्ञात्वा पापं मे पूर्वसंचितम् । स्नात्वा तीर्थवरे तस्मिन्दानं दद्याद्यथाविधि

Transliteration

pāpakarmā tato jñātvā pāpaṃ me pūrvasaṃcitam | snātvā tīrthavare tasmindānaṃ dadyādyathāvidhi

Translation

Dann, indem er erkennt: »Meine Sünde ist seit früherer Zeit angesammelt«, soll selbst der von sündigen Taten Beschwerte — nach dem Bad in jenem vortrefflichen Tīrtha — dort gemäß der Vorschrift Dāna spenden.

Word by Word

• पापकर्मा: a sinner / one of sinful deeds
• पापकर्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; कर्ता

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/अपादानार्थक-अव्यय (then/from there)

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) + क्त्वा (कृदन्त-अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया (having known/realized)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; कर्म

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; एन्क्लिटिक रूप; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• पूर्वसंचितम्: previously accumulated
• पूर्वसंचितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + सञ्चित (सम्+चि धातु + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि; ‘पूर्वसंचितम्’ = previously accumulated (as adjective to पापम्)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + क्त्वा (कृदन्त-अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया

• तीर्थवरे: in the excellent tīrtha
• तीर्थवरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• तस्मिन्: in that (place)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; अधिकरण

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

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यथाविधि: according to the prescribed rule
• यथाविधि: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tīrtha-vara in Revā region (unnamed here)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim/king as instructed audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim reflects with bowed head, then after bathing offers gifts to a brāhmaṇa near the riverbank; a donation basket, cloth, and water-pot are visible; the scene emphasizes sincerity and rule-bound giving.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-awareness of accumulated wrongdoing should lead to purification through tīrtha-snānā and disciplined charity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The “tīrthavara” described in Adhyāya 220 within the Revā (Narmadā) sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

After bathing, one should give dāna in accordance with scriptural procedure (yathāvidhi).