Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः स्नात्वा पूजयेच्छङ्करं नरः । दशाश्वमेधावभृथं लभते पुण्यमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā pūjayecchaṅkaraṃ naraḥ | daśāśvamedhāvabhṛthaṃ labhate puṇyamuttamam

Translation

En ce tīrtha, l’homme qui s’y baigne et adore Śaṅkara obtient le mérite suprême, égal au bain final de dix sacrifices Aśvamedha.

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Place/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• tīrthe: at the sacred ford/place
• tīrthe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Nipāta)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोध/अन्वयार्थक निपात (particle: 'but/indeed')

• yaḥ: who (he)
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक सर्वनाम

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śaṅkaram: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṅkaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; यः इति सर्वनामस्य विशेष्य

• daśa-aśvamedha-avabhṛtham: the concluding bath (merit) of ten Aśvamedhas
• daśa-aśvamedha-avabhṛtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + aśvamedha (प्रातिपदिक) + avabhṛtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (daśānām aśvamedhānām avabhṛthaḥ)

• labhate: obtains
• labhate: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• puṇyam: merit
• puṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• uttamam: supreme
• uttamam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; puṇyam इति विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced: phala-śruti style within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnamed ‘tatra tīrthe’ in Revā-khaṇḍa (Narmadā-associated)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee performs snāna at a sacred ford; above, symbolic imagery of ten Aśvamedha avabhṛtha baths appears—white horses, yajña-vedi, and priests—fading into the river’s sanctity; Śiva-liṅga stands on the bank receiving offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Aśvamedha
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha joined with Śiva-worship can confer sacrificial-level merit, showing the Purāṇic elevation of pilgrimage and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter’s “tatra tīrthe” refers to the Revā/Narmadā tīrtha under discussion in Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at the tīrtha followed by pūjā of Śaṅkara; the promised fruit is compared to ten Aśvamedha avabhṛtha baths.