Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

एककालं द्विकालं वा त्रिकालं चापि यः सदा । स्नानं करोति चाग्नेयं पापं तस्य प्रणश्यति

Transliteration

ekakālaṃ dvikālaṃ vā trikālaṃ cāpi yaḥ sadā | snānaṃ karoti cāgneyaṃ pāpaṃ tasya praṇaśyati

Translation

Quiconque accomplit constamment le bain Āgneya—une fois, deux fois, ou même trois fois par jour—voit son péché anéanti.

Word by Word

• एककालम्: once (one time)
• एककालम्: Karma (Extent/measure/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular; द्विगु-समास (एकः कालः)

• द्विकालम्: twice (two times)
• द्विकालम्: Karma (Extent/measure/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वि (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular; द्विगु (द्वौ कालौ)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Coordination/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्पार्थक निपात) — disjunctive particle (or)

• त्रिकालम्: thrice (three times)
• त्रिकालम्: Karma (Extent/measure/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular; द्विगु (त्रयः कालाः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Coordination/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयार्थक) — conjunction (and)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle (also/even)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular (relative pronoun)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kala-adhikarana (Time setting/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — indeclinable adverb of time

• स्नानम्: bath
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• करोति: does, performs
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present indicative, 3rd person singular

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Coordination/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयार्थक) — conjunction (and)

• आग्नेयम्: fiery, of Agni (agneyā bath)
• आग्नेयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आग्नेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular (agreeing with स्नानम्)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc. singular

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — Genitive singular

• प्रणश्यति: perishes, is destroyed
• प्रणश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present indicative, 3rd person singular

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bharata-lineage king (implied by next verse’s address style; here ‘yaḥ sādā’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee performs an ‘Āgneya bath’ as a disciplined routine at dawn/noon/dusk—ash and fire symbolism present—while the narrator declares sin’s destruction.

Characters & Entities

• Āgneya-snānā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Consistency in prescribed ritual practice is emphasized as a direct means of pāpa-kṣaya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in the Bhūtīśvara narrative, but the practice is stated as a general discipline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing Āgneya-snānā once, twice, or thrice daily on a regular basis.