Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

एवं तत्र समुत्पन्नं तीर्थं तद्बालमंडनम् । स्वामिद्रोहकृतात्पापान्मुच्यंते यत्र मानवाः

Transliteration

evaṃ tatra samutpannaṃ tīrthaṃ tadbālamaṃḍanam | svāmidrohakṛtātpāpānmucyaṃte yatra mānavāḥ

Translation

So entstand dort die Tīrtha namens Bālamaṇḍana, wo Menschen von den Sünden erlöst werden, die aus dem Verrat am eigenen Herrn (oder rechtmäßigen Gebieter) hervorgehen.

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (manner adverb)

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

• samutpannam: arisen; originated
• samutpannam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ut-panna (पद्/पन् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• tīrtham: sacred ford; pilgrimage place
• tīrtham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• bāla-maṇḍanam: Bālamaṇḍana (name of the tīrtha)
• bāla-maṇḍanam: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāla (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇḍana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; तीर्थनाम (proper name)

• svāmi-droha-kṛtāt: from (sins) caused by betrayal of one's master
• svāmi-droha-kṛtāt: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svāmin (प्रातिपदिक) + droha (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृ धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• pāpāt: from sin
• pāpāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

• mucyante: are freed
• mucyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muc (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb 'where')

• mānavāḥ: people; humans
• mānavāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bālamaṇḍana

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred ford is shown as newly sanctified—clear waters, a marked bathing spot, perhaps a simple shrine or liṅga nearby—while pilgrims approach seeking release from the sin of betraying their lord.

Characters & Entities

• Bālamaṇḍana (Tīrtha)
• Svāmidroha (betrayal of one’s lord/master)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage (tīrtha-sevā) functions as prāyaścitta: even grave ethical breaches can be purified through sanctified places and sincere turning toward dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bālamaṇḍana tīrtha, a pilgrimage ford praised in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, visiting/serving the tīrtha for purification; detailed rites appear in subsequent verses.