Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

लोकानां च हितार्थाय महापुण्यावतारिता । मानसं वाचिकं पापं स्नानान्नश्यति कर्मजम्

Transliteration

lokānāṃ ca hitārthāya mahāpuṇyāvatāritā | mānasaṃ vācikaṃ pāpaṃ snānānnaśyati karmajam

Translation

Zum Wohle der Welten ist sie herabgestiegen, von höchstem Verdienst erfüllt. Durch das Bad in ihr vergehen die aus Karma geborenen Sünden—die des Geistes und des Wortes.

Word by Word

• लोकानाम्: of the worlds/people
• लोकानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• हितार्थाय: for the sake of welfare
• हितार्थाय: Sampradana (Purpose/recipient; हेतु/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हित (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (हितस्य अर्थः), पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular)

• महापुण्यावतारिता: (she who is) brought down as great merit
• महापुण्यावतारिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अवतारित (कृदन्त; √तॄ/तॄ? causative sense from √तॄ/√तॄ?; here from √तॄ/√तॄ not standard; better: √तॄ (तारयति) causative; अवतारित = ‘brought down’)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (महापुण्यस्य अवतारिता), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle sense)

• मानसम्: mental
• मानसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• वाचिकम्: verbal
• वाचिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाचिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्नानात्: from bathing; by bathing
• स्नानात्: Apadana (Source/cause; कारण/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• नश्यति: perishes/is destroyed
• नश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• कर्मजम्: born of actions
• कर्मजम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मणः जातम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified (Revā Khaṇḍa narrator stating snāna-phala)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Revā as a radiant river-goddess descending for the welfare of beings; pilgrims bathing at dawn, the water depicted as luminous and sin-dissolving.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Narmadā’s presence is for universal welfare; sincere contact through bathing purifies inner and spoken wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā (Revā) river as a tirtha in herself, celebrated for sin-destroying power.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in the Narmadā to remove mānasa (mental) and vācika (verbal) pāpa.