Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

अथ यः परया भक्त्या स्नानं देवस्य कारयेत् । स प्राप्नोति परं लोकं यावदाभूतसम्प्लवम्

Transliteration

atha yaḥ parayā bhaktyā snānaṃ devasya kārayet | sa prāpnoti paraṃ lokaṃ yāvadābhūtasamplavam

Translation

Nun, wer in höchster Hingabe das rituelle Bad des Herrn vollziehen lässt, erlangt die höchste Welt, die bis zur kosmischen Auflösung währt.

Word by Word

• अथ: then/now
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (sequencing particle: “then/now”)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन (Singular)

• परया: with supreme/utmost
• परया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन

• स्नानम्: bath/ritual bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• देवस्य: of the deity
• देवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन

• कारयेत्: should cause (to be done)
• कारयेत्: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: णिच्-प्रयोजक (causative); विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• प्राप्नोति: attains
• प्राप्नोति: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present Indicative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण

• लोकम्: world/realm
• लोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• यावत्: as long as; until
• यावत्: Desha-Kala-Adhikarana (Temporal limit/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-सूचक (limit/extent marker: “as long as/until”)

• आभूतसम्प्लवम्: up to the cosmic deluge
• आभूतसम्प्लवम्: Desha-Kala-Adhikarana (Temporal extent/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ-भूत-सम्प्लव (प्रातिपदिक); घटकाः: आ + भूत + सम्प्लव
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-समासार्थः: “भूतानां सम्प्लवः” (deluge of beings) उपसर्ग ‘आ’ सह (up to/unto)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Revā Khaṇḍa narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava (addressed in adjacent verses; likely Yudhiṣṭhira)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee sponsors the ceremonial bathing of the Lord at a riverside shrine: priests pour water in streams over a liṅga or deity image; Revā river glitters nearby; lamps, bilva leaves, and conch-sounds frame the rite; the ‘parama-loka’ is hinted as a luminous celestial horizon.

Characters & Entities

• Deva (the Lord/deity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Serving the deity through devotional abhiṣeka is exalted as a path to the highest spiritual realm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā-region tīrthas in which such worship and bathing rites are praised in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arrange or sponsor the deity’s ritual bath (snāna/abhiṣeka) with supreme devotion.