Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तत्र स्नात्वा विधानेन संतर्प्य पितृदेवताः । मनुष्यश्च नृपश्रेष्ठ दानं दत्त्वानृणो भवेत्

Transliteration

tatra snātvā vidhānena saṃtarpya pitṛdevatāḥ | manuṣyaśca nṛpaśreṣṭha dānaṃ dattvānṛṇo bhavet

Translation

Ô meilleur des rois, après s’y être baigné selon le rite et avoir comblé les divinités ancestrales par des offrandes, l’homme—en faisant l’aumône—devient sans dette.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया

• विधानेन: according to the prescribed rite
• विधानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• संतर्प्य: having satisfied (offered oblations to)
• संतर्प्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-तृप् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया

• पितृदेवताः: the ancestral deities
• पितृदेवताः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ-देवता (प्रातिपदिक; पितृ + देवता)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• मनुष्यः: a person
• मनुष्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप-श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; नृप + श्रेष्ठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• दानम्: a gift; charity
• दानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया

• अनृणः: free from debt
• अनृणः: Kartṛ-visheshana (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्-ऋण (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्-समास/उपसर्ग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (मनुष्यः)

• भवेत्: would become; should become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (contextual narrator within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pitṛṇām-ṛṇa-mocana tīrtha (functional epithet)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa-śreṣṭha (the king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrim at riverbank performing snāna, then tarpaṇa with cupped hands; brāhmaṇas receiving dāna; the king observing or being instructed by the rishi.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestral deities)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual purity (snāna), reverence to ancestors (tarpaṇa), and generosity (dāna) together fulfill dharmic obligations and lighten one’s karmic debts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sacred tīrtha within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s Narmadā (Revā) sacred geography; the verse points to “there” (tatra) as the praised bathing-place in context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing according to injunction (vidhi), performing pitṛ-tarpaṇa (satisfying the ancestors), and giving dāna (charity).