Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

अस्ति तीर्थं महापुण्यं नाम्ना तु ऋणमोचनम् । ऋणानि त्रीणि नश्यंति नराणामत्र मज्जनात्

Transliteration

asti tīrthaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ nāmnā tu ṛṇamocanam | ṛṇāni trīṇi naśyaṃti narāṇāmatra majjanāt

Translation

Es gibt eine höchst verdienstvolle Tīrtha namens Ṛṇamocana, den «Befreier von Schulden». Durch das Untertauchen hier werden die drei Schulden der Menschen vernichtet.

Word by Word

• अस्ति: there is
• अस्ति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject of अस्ति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महापुण्यम्: highly meritorious
• महापुण्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of तीर्थम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय ‘greatly meritorious’

• नाम्ना: by name
• नाम्ना: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument; naming)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; ‘by name’

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण/विरोधार्थक (but/indeed)

• ऋणमोचनम्: (called) ‘Debt-Release’
• ऋणमोचनम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण; apposition to तीर्थम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + mocana (मुच् धातु-न्यन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ‘release from debt’ (name of tīrtha)

• ऋणानि: debts
• ऋणानि: Karta (कर्ता/Subject of नश्यन्ति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• त्रीणि: three
• त्रीणि: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of ऋणानि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक विशेषण

• नश्यन्ति: perish, are destroyed
• नश्यन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: naś (नश् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• नराणाम्: of men
• नराणाम्: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• मज्जनात्: from bathing (here)
• मज्जनात्: Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: majjana (मज्ज् धातु + युच्/अन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे ‘from/through bathing’

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuity from 42.1)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ṛṇamocana

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: munīśvaras

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim immerses at Ṛṇamocana-tīrtha while three symbolic burdens dissolve: a scroll (ṛṣi-ṛṇa), a lamp/altar (deva-ṛṇa), and a piṇḍa/ancestor emblem (pitṛ-ṛṇa) fading into light above the water.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṇamocana Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is portrayed as dharma-supporting: bathing at a consecrated tīrtha helps one become free from binding obligations (ṛṇas).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ṛṇamocana Tīrtha, a sacred bathing place within the Setu region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Majjana/snāna—immersive bathing in the waters of Ṛṇamocana Tīrtha.