Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मचारी तु यो भूत्वा तत्र तीर्थे नरेश्वर । स्नात्वार्चयेन्महादेवं सोऽश्वमेधफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

brahmacārī tu yo bhūtvā tatra tīrthe nareśvara | snātvārcayenmahādevaṃ so'śvamedhaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

Ô seigneur des hommes, celui qui, vivant en brahmacārin, se baigne à ce gué sacré et y adore Mahādeva, obtient un mérite égal à celui de l’Aśvamedha.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मचारी: a brahmacārin (celibate student)
• ब्रह्मचारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म + चारिन् (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ब्रह्मणि चारिन्)

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया (having become)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• तीर्थे: at the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नरेश्वर: O lord of men (king)
• नरेश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नराणाम् ईश्वरः)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महादेवम्: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• महादेवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + देव (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् देवः)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अश्वमेधफलम्: the fruit of the Aśvamedha sacrifice
• अश्वमेधफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध + फल (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अश्वमेधस्य फलम्)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Āvantya/Revā tīrtha-māhātmya style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nareśvara (addressed: 'O lord of men')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A youthful brahmacārin pilgrim with staff and waterpot stands at the river, completes snāna, then offers flowers and bilva to a Śiva-liṅga; a symbolic horse and sacrificial paraphernalia appear faintly to indicate Aśvamedha equivalence.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādeva
• Śiva
• Tīrtha
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Discipline (brahmacarya) joined with tīrtha-snāna and Śiva-worship magnifies merit to the level of great Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha associated with Gautameśvara/Mahādeva in the Revā Khaṇḍa of the Āvantya Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observe brahmacarya, bathe at the tīrtha, and worship Mahādeva.