Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

ज्ञानं महत्पुण्यतमं पवित्रं पठन्त्यदो नित्यविशुद्धसत्त्वाः । गतिं परां यान्ति महानुभावा रुद्रस्य वाक्यं हि यथा प्रमाणम्

Transliteration

jñānaṃ mahatpuṇyatamaṃ pavitraṃ paṭhantyado nityaviśuddhasattvāḥ | gatiṃ parāṃ yānti mahānubhāvā rudrasya vākyaṃ hi yathā pramāṇam

Translation

Cet enseignement est grand, le plus méritoire et purificateur. Ceux dont l’esprit demeure toujours pur et qui le récitent—âmes nobles—parviennent au but suprême, car la parole de Rudra fait autorité comme preuve.

Word by Word

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• महत्-पुण्यतमम्: most greatly meritorious
• महत्-पुण्यतमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्यतम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (superlative -तम)

• पवित्रम्: pure, sacred
• पवित्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पवित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• पठन्ति: (they) recite/read
• पठन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• अदः: that (this text/that)
• अदः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• नित्य-विशुद्ध-सत्त्वाः: those of ever-pure disposition
• नित्य-विशुद्ध-सत्त्वाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक) + विशुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीह्यर्थे/समासान्त-प्रयोगः (those whose nature is always pure)

• गतिम्: path, state, goal
• गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पराम्: supreme
• पराम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• यान्ति: (they) go/attain
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• महानुभावाः: great-souled ones
• महानुभावाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महान् (प्रातिपदिक) + अनुभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेष्य (epithet)

• रुद्रस्य: of Rudra
• रुद्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• वाक्यम्: statement, word
• वाक्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/हेतु-सूचक

• यथा: as, just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as/just as)

• प्रमाणम्: authoritative proof
• प्रमाणम्: Prayojaka/Predicate (Vidheya/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual narrator within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha (contextual)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene assembly of ever-pure sages reciting a sacred teaching on the banks of Revā; above them, Rudra/Īśāna as the unseen authority, with a subtle aura indicating ‘pramāṇa’ and purification.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faithful recitation of purifying Purāṇic teaching, grounded in Śiva’s authority, leads toward the highest spiritual destination.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly, the Revā–Narmadā māhātmya being recited is the sanctifying context, though this verse highlights the teaching itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Paṭhana (recitation/reading) of the sacred teaching is prescribed as a purifying practice.