Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

इत्येतत्कथितं विप्र ऋणमोचनसंज्ञकम् । यत्र स्नानेन जन्तूनामृणं नश्यति तत्क्षणात् । ऋणमोचनतीर्थं तु पूर्वतः सरयूजले

Transliteration

ityetatkathitaṃ vipra ṛṇamocanasaṃjñakam | yatra snānena jantūnāmṛṇaṃ naśyati tatkṣaṇāt | ṛṇamocanatīrthaṃ tu pūrvataḥ sarayūjale

Translation

Thus, O brāhmaṇa, has been described the place called Ṛṇamocana, where by bathing the debt of beings perishes at that very moment. This Ṛṇamocana Tīrtha lies to the east, in the waters of the Sarayū.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: वाक्यचिह्न
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उद्धरण/समाप्तिसूचक

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: कर्म/विषय (Topic/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कथितम्: has been told
• कथितम्: विधेय (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कथ् (धातु) + क्त
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय

• विप्र: O brāhmaṇa
• विप्र: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• ऋणमोचनसंज्ञकम्: named ‘Debt-removal’
• ऋणमोचनसंज्ञकम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऋणमोचन + संज्ञक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (ऋणमोचन इति संज्ञा यस्य), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; एतत्-विशेषण

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, सम्बन्धबोधक देशवाचक (relative adverb: where)

• स्नानेन: by bathing
• स्नानेन: करण (Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जन्तूनाम्: of creatures/people
• जन्तूनाम्: सम्बन्ध (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• ऋणम्: debt
• ऋणम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• नश्यति: perishes; is destroyed
• नश्यति: क्रिया (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्क्षणात्: immediately
• तत्क्षणात्: क्रियाविशेषण (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत् + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (तत् क्षणात्), पञ्चमी-अर्थे अव्यय (immediately; from that moment)

• ऋणमोचनतीर्थम्: the Debt-removal tīrtha
• ऋणमोचनतीर्थम्: विषय/कर्म (Topic/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋणमोचन + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (ऋणमोचनं तीर्थम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तु: indeed; but
• तु: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात (but/indeed)

• पूर्वतः: to the east
• पूर्वतः: क्रियाविशेषण/अधिकरण (Direction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तद्धितान्त (तस्), दिशावाचक क्रियाविशेषण (to the east/eastward)

• सरयूजले: in the waters of the Sarayū
• सरयूजले: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरयू + जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सरय्वाः जलम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

Speaker

Agastya (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ṛṇamocana Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: vipra/brāhmaṇa interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at dawn step into the Sarayū at the eastern Ṛṇamocana spot; a priest guides sankalpa; subtle light suggests burdens lifting as water ripples around them.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṇamocana Tīrtha
• Sarayū

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas connect inner relief (freedom from burdens) with outer sacred geography, making pilgrimage a lived path of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ṛṇamocana Tīrtha, situated in/at the Sarayū waters, described as lying to the east.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Ṛṇamocana Tīrtha for immediate destruction of debt.