Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

पर्यटन्सर्वतीर्थेषु ब्रह्महत्या न मुञ्चति । नर्मदादक्षिणे कूले सुतीर्थं प्राप्तवान् प्रभुः

Transliteration

paryaṭansarvatīrtheṣu brahmahatyā na muñcati | narmadādakṣiṇe kūle sutīrthaṃ prāptavān prabhuḥ

Translation

Bien qu’il ait erré vers tous les tīrtha, la brahma-hatyā ne le quitta pas. Alors le Seigneur atteignit le tīrtha excellent sur la rive méridionale de la Narmadā.

Word by Word

• paryaṭan: wandering
• paryaṭan: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ṭaṭ/√ṭ (धातु: टट्/ट) → paryaṭat (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्-समकक्ष), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'wandering'

• sarva-tīrtheṣu: in all sacred fords/places of pilgrimage
• sarva-tīrtheṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (सर्वाणि तीर्थानि)

• brahmahatyā: Brahmahatyā (sin of brahmin-slaying)
• brahmahatyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmahatyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• muñcati: releases, leaves (him)
• muñcati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• narmadā: of the Narmadā
• narmadā: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: narmadā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (नर्मदायाः); उत्तरपद-सम्बन्ध (कूले)

• dakṣiṇe: southern
• dakṣiṇe: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कूलस्य विशेषण (on the southern)

• kūle: on the bank
• kūle: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• sutīrtham: a good sacred ford (Sutīrtha)
• sutīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सुन्दरं तीर्थम्)

• prāptavān: reached, obtained
• prāptavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp + pra (धातु) → prāptavat (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्तवतु), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि (has reached)

• prabhuḥ: the Lord
• prabhuḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तृपद (apposition to subject)

Speaker

Narrator (Revā Khaṇḍa narrator addressing Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Su-tīrtha on Narmadā’s southern bank (contextually leading to Kulakoṭi)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva, still shadowed by brahmahatyā, arrives at the serene southern bank of the Narmadā; the river glows with sanctity, hinting at imminent release.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• Śiva (Prabhu)
• Brahmahatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Not all holy places function identically for every karmic burden; specific tīrthas are revealed as uniquely empowered for particular expiations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

An ‘excellent tīrtha’ on the southern bank of the Narmadā—contextually identified in this chapter as Śuddharudra Tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage to tīrthas is referenced; the detailed rite (snāna, etc.) is specified later.