Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

वरुणेशे नरः स्नात्वा ह्यर्चयित्वा महेश्वरम् । वाजपेयस्य यज्ञस्य फलं प्राप्नोति पुष्कलम्

Transliteration

varuṇeśe naraḥ snātvā hyarcayitvā maheśvaram | vājapeyasya yajñasya phalaṃ prāpnoti puṣkalam

Translation

Celui qui se baigne à Varuṇeśvara et, selon le rite, vénère Maheśvara, obtient un mérite surabondant—le fruit même du sacrifice Vājapeya.

Word by Word

• वरुणेशे: at Varuṇeśa (the Lord of Varuṇa)
• वरुणेशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरुण + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वरुणस्य ईशः)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थक

• अर्चयित्वा: having worshipped
• अर्चयित्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), णिच्-प्रयोग (causative stem arca-y)

• महेश्वरम्: Mahēśvara (Great Lord Śiva)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मह + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् ईश्वरः)

• वाजपेयस्य: of the Vājapeya
• वाजपेयस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाजपेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• यज्ञस्य: of the sacrifice
• यज्ञस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्राप्नोति: attains
• प्राप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• पुष्कलम्: abundant/great
• पुष्कलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुष्कल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'फलम्' इत्यस्य विशेषण

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate context of Revā Khaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Varuṇeśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A riverside Śiva shrine labeled Varuṇeśvara; the pilgrim emerges from bath, offers bilva and water to a liṅga; in the sky, symbolic Vājapeya imagery—soma cups, sacrificial posts—appears as a radiant aura signifying equivalent fruit.

Characters & Entities

• Varuṇeśvara
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Vājapeya-yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage-bathing and sincere worship of Śiva at a consecrated tīrtha can yield merit equal to major Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Varuṇeśvara tīrtha (a Śiva-site in the Revā/Narmadā sacred landscape).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at Varuṇeśvara followed by arcana/pūjā (worship) of Maheśvara.