Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

भ्रमन्ति ये तीरमुपेत्य देव्यास्त्रिकालदेवार्चनसत्यपूताः । विण्मूत्रचर्मास्थितिरोपधानाः कुक्षौ युवत्या न वसन्ति भूयः

Transliteration

bhramanti ye tīramupetya devyāstrikāladevārcanasatyapūtāḥ | viṇmūtracarmāsthitiropadhānāḥ kukṣau yuvatyā na vasanti bhūyaḥ

Translation

Ceux qui errent après avoir atteint la rive de la Déesse—purifiés par la véracité et par l’adoration de la divinité aux trois temps du jour—ne demeurent plus à nouveau dans le sein d’une jeune femme, car ce corps n’est qu’un appui de fange, d’urine, de peau et d’os.

Word by Word

• bhramanti: wander
• bhramanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhram (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन

• tīram: the bank
• tīram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे), द्वितीया एकवचन

• upetya: having approached
• upetya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Gerundial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: upa√i (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; having approached

• devyāḥ: of the goddess (Revā)
• devyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचन; Genitive singular (of the goddess)

• tri-kāla-deva-arcana-satya-pūtāḥ: purified by thrice-daily worship of the gods and by truthfulness
• tri-kāla-deva-arcana-satya-pūtāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक) + arcana (प्रातिपदिक) + satya (प्रातिपदिक) + pūta (कृदन्त; √pū)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (त्रिकाले देव-अर्चनेन सत्येन च पूताः)

• viṇ-mūtra-carma-asthi-iti-ropadhānāḥ: whose ‘pillow’ is (made of) feces, urine, skin, and bones (i.e., embodied beings)
• viṇ-mūtra-carma-asthi-iti-ropadhānāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṇ (प्रातिपदिक) + mūtra (प्रातिपदिक) + carman (प्रातिपदिक) + asthi (प्रातिपदिक) + iti (अव्यय) + upadhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (विण्मूत्रचर्मास्थि-इति उपधानं येषाम्) देह-निन्दार्थे

• kukṣau: in the womb
• kukṣau: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kukṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन; Locative singular (in the womb)

• yuvatyāḥ: of a young woman
• yuvatyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचन; Genitive singular (of a young woman)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• vasanti: dwell/live
• vasanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vas (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• bhūyaḥ: again
• bhūyaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: again/further)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā tīra (Devī-tīra)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims walking along the Narmadā bank, stopping thrice daily to worship; a subtle overlay shows the body as a fragile vessel of impurities, while above them a closed womb motif symbolizes 'no return' and a clear sky symbolizes release.

Characters & Entities

• Devī Revā (Narmadā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage joined with truth and disciplined daily worship is taught as a means to end rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The bank of the Goddess Revā (Narmadā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Trikāla-devārcana (worship three times daily) and satya (truthfulness) during tīrtha-wandering.