Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

स्वयं च कृमिभूतः संस्तिष्ठेद्यावदघक्षयम् । स्नाति चेद्धनुषः कोटौ तस्मिन्नासौ निपात्यते

Transliteration

svayaṃ ca kṛmibhūtaḥ saṃstiṣṭhedyāvadaghakṣayam | snāti ceddhanuṣaḥ koṭau tasminnāsau nipātyate

Translation

Selbst zum Wurm geworden, bleibt er so, bis seine Sünde aufgezehrt ist; doch wenn er in Dhanus-koṭi badet, wird er nicht in diesen Zustand hinabgestoßen.

Word by Word

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Karta (Emphatic subject marker/कर्ता)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्वार्थक/आत्मवाचक) — indeclinable ‘oneself’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयार्थक निपात) — conjunction ‘and’

• कृमि-भूतः: having become a worm
• कृमि-भूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृमि (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular; विशेषण (of the person)

• संस्तिष्ठेत्: should remain
• संस्तिष्ठेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — should remain/stand

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Sambandha (Limit marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/अवधि सूचक) — ‘until/as long as’

• अघ-क्षयम्: the destruction of sin
• अघ-क्षयम्: Karma (Extent/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अघ (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — accusative singular; अवधिवाचक (extent/limit)

• स्नाति: bathes
• स्नाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — bathes

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (शर्तसूचक निपात) — conditional particle ‘if’

• धनुषः: of a bow
• धनुषः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — genitive singular

• कोटौ: at the tip/end
• कोटौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular

• तस्मिन्: in that (place)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular (pronoun)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध निपात) — negation particle

• असौ: that person
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative singular (demonstrative pronoun)

• निपात्यते: is cast down
• निपात्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-पत् (धातु) (णिच् causative)
• Form: लट् (Present), कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — is made to fall / is cast down

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Setu-khaṇḍa narrative voice within Brahmakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dhanus-koṭi

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A two-part moral tableau: a soul shown as a worm in a bleak realm; then the same being as a human pilgrim bathing at Dhanus-koṭi, with light and purity washing over the scene, symbolizing prevention of the fall.

Characters & Entities

• Dhanuskoṭi (tīrtha)
• Kṛmibhojana (contextual)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Alongside karma’s severity, the Purāṇa stresses compassionate remedies—tīrtha-snāna is presented as a powerful means of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dhanuskoṭi is explicitly praised as a saving tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at Dhanuskoṭi as a purificatory act preventing descent into that suffering.