Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

देवैः पितृमनुष्यैश्च ऋणमात्मकृतं च यत् । मुच्यते तत्क्षणान्मर्त्यः स्नातो वै नर्मदाजले

Transliteration

devaiḥ pitṛmanuṣyaiśca ṛṇamātmakṛtaṃ ca yat | mucyate tatkṣaṇānmartyaḥ snāto vai narmadājale

Translation

„Welche Schuld auch immer einer auf sich geladen hat—gegenüber den Göttern, den Ahnen und anderen Menschen—davon wird der Sterbliche in eben jenem Augenblick frei, sobald er in den Wassern der Narmadā gebadet hat.“

Word by Word

• देवैः: by/with the gods
• देवैः: Sambandha (Source/association/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• पितृमनुष्यैः: by/with ancestors and humans
• पितृमनुष्यैः: Sambandha (Source/association/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; समास: द्वन्द्व (पितरश्च मनुष्याश्च = ancestors and humans)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• ऋणम्: debt
• ऋणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आत्मकृतम्: self-incurred
• आत्मकृतम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृ धातु, कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष (आत्मना कृतम् = done by oneself); कृदन्त: क्त (past passive participle)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• यत्: whatever (debt)
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• मुच्यते: is freed/released
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: is released)

• तत्क्षणात्: immediately
• तत्क्षणात्: Kala-adhikarana (Time point/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष (तस्मिन् क्षणे/ततः क्षणात् = immediately)

• मर्त्यः: a mortal
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; कृदन्त: क्त (past passive participle)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/खल्वर्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• नर्मदाजले: in the waters of the Narmadā
• नर्मदाजले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष (नर्मदायाः जलम् = water of Narmadā)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ṛṇamocana (by immediate context) / Narmadā-snānaphala

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim steps into the Narmadā; as water touches the body, symbolic chains labeled deva-ṛṇa, pitṛ-ṛṇa, manuṣya-ṛṇa dissolve; above, devas and pitṛs appear appeased; the river shines as a goddess-like presence.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• devas
• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma emphasizes obligations to gods, ancestors, and society; tīrtha-bathing is praised as a powerful purifier that helps one transcend these burdens through grace and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā/Revā waters (within the Ṛṇamocana tīrtha context) are presented as instantly liberating.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in Narmadā-jala is the stated act producing the fruit.