Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

अपुत्रा ये नराः पार्थ स्नानं कुर्वन्ति सङ्गमे । ते लभन्ते सुताञ्छ्रेष्ठान् कार्त्तवीर्योपमाञ्छुभान्

Transliteration

aputrā ye narāḥ pārtha snānaṃ kurvanti saṅgame | te labhante sutāñchreṣṭhān kārttavīryopamāñchubhān

Translation

O Pārtha, Männer ohne Söhne, die am Saṅgama, der Flussmündung, baden, erlangen vortreffliche und glückverheißende Söhne, an Tapferkeit Kārttavīrya gleich.

Word by Word

• अपुत्राः: sonless
• अपुत्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुषः (पुत्रो नास्ति येषाम् = sonless)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/Correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-यः/ये (relative pronoun)

• नराः: men
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मत्वे

• कुर्वन्ति: do / perform
• कुर्वन्ति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• सङ्गमे: at the confluence
• सङ्गमे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरणे (place)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तद्-प्रत्यय (correlative pronoun)

• लभन्ते: obtain
• लभन्ते: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• सुतान्: sons
• सुतान्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मत्वे

• श्रेष्ठान्: excellent
• श्रेष्ठान्: Karman (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘sons’)

• कार्त्तवीर्योपमान्: like Kārttavīrya
• कार्त्तवीर्योपमान्: Karman (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्त्तवीर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + उपमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कार्त्तवीर्यस्य उपमाः = comparable to Kārttavīrya)

• शुभान्: auspicious / good
• शुभान्: Karman (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-saṅgama tīrtha (implied)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a river confluence, childless devotees perform snāna with folded hands; a blessing aura suggests future noble sons, with a faint heroic silhouette evoking Kārttavīrya’s might.

Characters & Entities

• Pārtha (Arjuna epithet)
• Kārttavīrya
• Saṅgama (confluence)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snānā (bathing at a sacred confluence) is presented as dharmic support for householders, granting blessings aligned with righteous lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sacred saṅgama (confluence) associated with the Narmadā tīrtha context in Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna (ritual bathing) at the saṅgama, especially for those seeking progeny.