Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

पितृशापपरिक्लिष्टा गर्भवासाय भारत । नार्मदं तीर्थमासाद्य तपश्चक्रुर्यतेन्द्रियाः

Transliteration

pitṛśāpaparikliṣṭā garbhavāsāya bhārata | nārmadaṃ tīrthamāsādya tapaścakruryatendriyāḥ

Translation

«Accablés par une malédiction de leurs ancêtres, ô Bhārata, et voués au séjour dans le sein (renaissance), ils gagnèrent un tīrtha sacré sur la Narmadā et accomplirent des austérités, les sens maîtrisés».

Word by Word

• pitṛ-śāpa-parikliṣṭāḥ: afflicted by the father’s curse
• pitṛ-śāpa-parikliṣṭāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + śāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + parikliṣṭa (कृदन्त; √kliś/क्लिश् धातु with उपसर्ग परि-; क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः; कृदन्त-विशेषणम् (past passive participle)

• garbha-vāsāya: for (undergoing) womb-dwelling
• garbha-vāsāya: Sampradāna (Purpose/recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garbha (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः (Dative), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (dwelling in the womb)

• bhārata: O Bhārata
• bhārata: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः (Vocative), एकवचनम्

• nārmadam: of the Narmadā
• nārmadam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nārmada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्; ‘तीर्थम्’ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• tīrtham: sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्

• āsādya: having reached
• āsādya: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-sādya (कृदन्त; √sad/सद् धातु with उपसर्ग आ-; ल्यप्/त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (gerund/absolutive)

• tapaḥ: austerity, penance
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्

• cakruḥ: they performed/did
• cakruḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• yata-indriyāḥ: with restrained senses
• yata-indriyāḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yata (कृदन्त; √yam/यम् धातु; क्त) + indriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः (‘whose senses are restrained’)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā tīrtha (specific name not given in verse)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata/Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Eight Vasus, humbled by a pitṛ-curse, stand on the Narmadā bank performing severe tapas—matted hair, restrained posture—while the river glows as a purifying presence; a shadowy motif of ‘womb-dwelling’ fate looms behind, dissolving in light.

Characters & Entities

• Vasus
• Pitṛs (forefathers)
• Narmadā
• Narmadā-tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even heavy karmic afflictions are purified through disciplined tapas undertaken at sanctified tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Narmadā-associated tīrtha, forming the setting for the Vasus’ austerities and the later fame of Vāsava-tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sense-restraint (yama/niyama) and tapas as the means to overcome the effects of a curse.