Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यो भक्त्या शुचिर्भूत्वा समाहितः । स्नापयेच्छङ्खचूडं तु क्षीरक्षौद्रेण सर्पिषा

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yo bhaktyā śucirbhūtvā samāhitaḥ | snāpayecchaṅkhacūḍaṃ tu kṣīrakṣaudreṇa sarpiṣā

Translation

At that tīrtha, whoever, with devotion, becomes pure and composed in mind should bathe Śaṅkhacūḍa with milk, honey, and ghee.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — indeclinable adverb of place

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमीविभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — neuter, locative singular

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/अवधारणार्थक) — particle, contrast/emphasis

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — masculine, nominative singular (relative pronoun)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — feminine, instrumental singular

• शुचिः: pure
• शुचिः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — masculine, nominative singular (predicate adjective)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया — gerund/absolutive ‘having become’

• समाहितः: composed/collected (in mind)
• समाहितः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-धा (धातु) → समाहित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — past passive participle, masculine nominative singular

• स्नापयेत्: should bathe (cause to be bathed)
• स्नापयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/imperative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — imperative, 3rd person singular; causative sense ‘cause to bathe’

• शङ्खचूडम्: Śaṅkhacūḍa (name)
• शङ्खचूडम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्खचूड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — masculine, accusative singular (object)

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle, emphasis

• क्षीरक्षौद्रेण: with milk and honey
• क्षीरक्षौद्रेण: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर + क्षौद्र (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: द्वन्द्वसमास (इतरेतर), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — dvandva compound, neuter instrumental singular

• सर्पिषा: with ghee
• सर्पिषा: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्पिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — neuter instrumental singular

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṅkhacūḍa-tīrtha (as implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a serene Narmadā-bank shrine, a devotee in clean white cloth performs abhiṣeka to the Śaṅkhacūḍa liṅga with streams of milk, honey, and ghee; attendants hold vessels; lamps flicker; river and trees frame the sanctum.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkhacūḍa
• Śaṅkhacūḍa Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity, concentration, and bhakti empower ritual action; devotional offering becomes a means of purification and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaṅkhacūḍa Tīrtha on the Narmadā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Abhiṣeka/snāpana of Śaṅkhacūḍa using milk (kṣīra), honey (kṣaudra), and ghee (sarpiṣ).