Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

मार्कंडेय उवाच । ममाऽश्रमसमीपेऽस्ति सुतीर्थं बालमंडनम् । स्वामिद्रोहरताः स्नाता मुच्यंते तत्र पातकैः

Transliteration

mārkaṃḍeya uvāca | mamā'śramasamīpe'sti sutīrthaṃ bālamaṃḍanam | svāmidroharatāḥ snātā mucyaṃte tatra pātakaiḥ

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: „Nahe meiner Einsiedelei gibt es ein vortreffliches tīrtha namens Bālamaṇḍana. Wer durch Verrat am Herrn befleckt ist, wird, wenn er dort badet, von den Sünden gelöst.“

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Markandeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आश्रमसमीपे: near the hermitage
• आश्रमसमीपे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक) + समीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (आश्रमस्य समीपम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

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

• सुतीर्थम्: a good sacred ford
• सुतीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (सुन्दरं तीर्थम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• बालमण्डनम्: (called) Bālamaṇḍana
• बालमण्डनम्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक) + मण्डन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (बालानां मण्डनम्/बालस्य मण्डनम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; तीर्थनाम

• स्वामिद्रोहरताः: those devoted to treachery against their master
• स्वामिद्रोहरताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वामिद्रोह (प्रातिपदिक; समास) + रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (स्वामिद्रोहे रताः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• स्नाताः: having bathed
• स्नाताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (स्वामिद्रोहरताः)

• मुच्यन्ते: are freed
• मुच्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• पातकैः: from sins
• पातकैः: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bālamaṇḍana

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Lakṣmaṇa (with Rāma present)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya points toward a nearby sacred ford—clear waters, steps or natural bank—naming it Bālamaṇḍana and declaring its power to free even svāmi-droha sinners upon bathing.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Bālamaṇḍana Tīrtha
• Āśrama (Mārkaṇḍeya’s hermitage)
• Svāmi-droha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrthas are presented as compassionate dharmic remedies where sincere penitents can be freed from grave moral stains.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bālamaṇḍana, the excellent tīrtha located near Mārkaṇḍeya’s hermitage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Bālamaṇḍana as expiation for svāmi-droha.