Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

तावत्पापानि देहेषु महापातकजान्यपि । यावन्न प्रेक्षते जन्तुस्तत्तीर्थं देवसेवितम्

Transliteration

tāvatpāpāni deheṣu mahāpātakajānyapi | yāvanna prekṣate jantustattīrthaṃ devasevitam

Translation

So lange haften Sünden in den Leibern der Wesen—selbst solche aus großen Verfehlungen—bis das Geschöpf jene von den Göttern verehrte und bediente heilige Furt (Tīrtha) erblickt.

Word by Word

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Adhikarana (Extent/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधिवाचक-अव्यय (so long/that much)

• पापानि: sins
• पापानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• देहेषु: in bodies
• देहेषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• महापातकजानि: arising from great sins
• महापातकजानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापातक-ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (महापातकात् जातानि) ‘born of great sins’—पापानि इति विशेष्य

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (even/also)

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Adhikarana (Extent/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधिवाचक-अव्यय (until/as long as)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• प्रेक्षते: sees/beholds
• प्रेक्षते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान/present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• जन्तुः: a creature/person
• जन्तुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थम्)

• तीर्थम्: holy place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• देवसेवितम्: served by the gods
• देवसेवितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देव-सेवित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवैः सेवितम्) + क्त-कृदन्त ‘सेवित’ (served)

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual; preceding verses praise the tīrtha)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Skanda-nāmaka Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A weary pilgrim burdened by dark, smoky sin-symbols approaches a radiant river-ford; as the tīrtha comes into view, the darkness dissolves; devas are shown worshipping the place with flowers and lamps.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana (beholding) of a divinely honored tīrtha initiates the destruction of even severe sins.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A devasevita tīrtha within the Revā Khaṇḍa context, leading into the praise of Kumbheśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated here; the act emphasized is darśana—seeing the tīrtha.