Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

वसिष्ठ उवाच । कृत्वापि पापान्यखिलानि लोकस्त्वामेत्य रामेश्वर भक्तियुक्तः । नमेत चेत्तानि लयं व्रजेयुर्यथांधकारो रवितेजसाऽद्धा

Transliteration

vasiṣṭha uvāca | kṛtvāpi pāpānyakhilāni lokastvāmetya rāmeśvara bhaktiyuktaḥ | nameta cettāni layaṃ vrajeyuryathāṃdhakāro ravitejasā'ddhā

Translation

Vasiṣṭha sprach: „Selbst wenn ein Mensch alle Sünden begangen hat—kommt er doch zu dir, o Rāmeśvara, von Bhakti erfüllt, und verneigt sich—so lösen sich jene Sünden auf, wie die Finsternis gewiss durch den Glanz der Sonne vernichtet wird.“

Word by Word

• vasiṣṭhaḥ: Vasiṣṭha
• vasiṣṭhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasiṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: particle: even

• pāpāni: sins
• pāpāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• akhilāni: all
• akhilāni: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• lokaḥ: a person/the world (here: a person)
• lokaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• tvām: you
• tvām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• etya: having come/approached
• etya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: i (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) of √i with prefix ā/etya-usage, अव्ययभाव

• rāmeśvara: O Rāmeśvara
• rāmeśvara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• bhaktiyuktaḥ: endowed with devotion
• bhaktiyuktaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + yukta (कृदन्त; √yuj धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष: 'भक्त्या युक्तः'

• namet: would bow
• namet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• cet: if
• cet: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cet (अव्यय)
• Form: conditional particle: if

• tāni: those (sins)
• tāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• layam: dissolution
• layam: Gati/Karma (Goal/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: laya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• vrajeyuḥ: would go/vanish
• vrajeyuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vraj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा/यथा-निपात (comparative particle: just as)

• andhakāraḥ: darkness
• andhakāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: andhakāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• ravitejasā: by the sun's radiance
• ravitejasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ravi (प्रातिपदिक) + tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष: 'रवेः तेजसा'

• addhā: surely/indeed
• addhā: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: addhā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): निश्चयार्थे/स्पष्टार्थे (surely/clearly)

Speaker

Vasiṣṭha

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmeśvara (Setu-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience of the Setu-māhātmya discourse / addressed to Rāmeśvara

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vasiṣṭha points to the rising sun over the sea behind the Rāmeśvara temple; a penitent pilgrim bows, and shadowy forms symbolizing sins dissolve into light.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Rāmeśvara
• Sun (ravi)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional approach and namaskāra to Rāmeśvara have powerful purificatory force, dissolving even grave sins.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rāmeśvaram at Setu, praised as a place where Śiva’s grace eradicates sin through bhakti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Coming to Rāmeśvara and offering namaskāra with devotion (bhakti-yukta namaskāra).