Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

यस्मिन्कीटपतंगादिमानुषाः पशवस्तथा । त्रिरात्रसेवनेनैव मुच्यन्ते सर्वपातकैः

Transliteration

yasminkīṭapataṃgādimānuṣāḥ paśavastathā | trirātrasevanenaiva mucyante sarvapātakaiḥ

Translation

An jenem heiligen Ort werden selbst Insekten und Vögel, ebenso Menschen und Tiere, allein durch die Beobachtung des dreinächtigen Gelübdes von allen Sünden befreit.

Word by Word

• यस्मिन्: in which (place)
• यस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• कीट: worms/insects
• कीट: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समाहार-उल्लेख (as a class)

• पतंग: moths/winged insects
• पतंग: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पतंग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कीट-समूहस्य अन्यः प्रकारः

• आदि: and others, etc.
• आदि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय; उपपद-प्रयोगः ‘...आदि’ = ‘and the like’ (inclusive marker)

• मानुषाः: humans
• मानुषाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पशवः: animals
• पशवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तथा: also, likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—समुच्चय/उपमानार्थ ‘also/likewise’

• त्रिरात्र: three-night (period)
• त्रिरात्र: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समासः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूपेण (समासाङ्ग); ‘three nights’

• सेवनेन: by service/observance
• सेवनेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेवन (प्रातिपदिक; √सेव् (धातु) सेवानिष्पन्न-भाववाचक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक (emphatic particle)

• मुच्यन्ते: are freed
• मुच्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग/मध्यस्थ-भावः ‘are released’

• सर्व: all
• सर्व: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-समर्थ, सप्तमी/पञ्चमी-सम्बद्ध विशेषण; अत्र ‘पातकैः’ इति सह तृतीया-बहुवचन-सम्बन्धः (agreeing in case/number/gender with pātakaiḥ)

• पातकैः: from sins
• पातकैः: Apadana (Ablative sense/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; अपादानार्थेऽपि तृतीया (from sins)

Speaker

Vasiṣṭha (deduced from immediate narrative context leading into Rāma’s questions)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred forest-tīrtha at dawn: pilgrims keep a three-night vow; even birds, insects, and animals gather near the water’s edge as if receiving sanctifying presence; ascetics chant while lamps flicker under trees.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A truly sanctified tīrtha uplifts all beings; sincere observance, even for a short period, can dissolve accumulated sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya (as presented in the Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa of the Brāhma Khaṇḍa).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Trirātra-sevā—observing/serving a three-night vow or stay associated with the sacred site.