Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

स्नात्वा दानं च वै दद्यादर्चयेद्गिरिजापतिम् । ऋणत्रयविनिर्मुक्तो नाके दीप्यति देववत्

Transliteration

snātvā dānaṃ ca vai dadyādarcayedgirijāpatim | ṛṇatrayavinirmukto nāke dīpyati devavat

Translation

Nachdem er gebadet hat, soll er wahrlich Almosen geben und den Herrn der Girijā (Śiva) verehren. Von den dreifachen Schulden befreit, leuchtet er im Himmel wie ein Gott.

Word by Word

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया (having bathed)

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

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

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

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

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (optative, 3rd sg)

• गिरिजापतिम्: the husband of Girijā (Śiva)
• गिरिजापतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरिजा-पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (acc sg); समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गिरिजायाः पतिः)

• ऋणत्रयविनिर्मुक्तः: freed from the three debts
• ऋणत्रयविनिर्मुक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऋण-त्रय-विनिर्मुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय) 'विनिर्मुक्त'; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष (ऋणत्रयात् विनिर्मुक्तः)

• नाके: in heaven
• नाके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन (locative sg)

• दीप्यति: shines
• दीप्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दीप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, वर्तमानकाल; परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (present, 3rd sg)

• देववत्: like a god
• देववत्: Upamana (Comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित)
• Form: तद्धितान्त अव्यय; -वत् (comparative indeclinable: 'like')

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (addressed as ‘rājan’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at the river completes snāna, offers dāna to a brāhmaṇa, then performs Śiva-arcana; above, a luminous path to svarga where the devotee shines ‘like a deva’.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Girijā-pati)
• Girijā (Pārvatī)
• Narmadā (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is completed by ethical action (dāna) and devotion (Śiva-arcana), culminating in liberation from foundational obligations (ṛṇa-traya).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ṛṇamocana tīrtha on the Revā/Narmadā, where snāna plus worship is said to yield extraordinary merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna, give dāna, and worship Girijā-pati (Śiva).