Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

प्रणम्य लभते पार्थ फलं कृच्छ्रभवं सुधीः । तीर्थे मुख्यफलं स्नानाद्द्वितीयं चाप्युपोषणात्

Transliteration

praṇamya labhate pārtha phalaṃ kṛcchrabhavaṃ sudhīḥ | tīrthe mukhyaphalaṃ snānāddvitīyaṃ cāpyupoṣaṇāt

Translation

S’étant prosterné, ô Pārtha, le sage obtient le fruit né du kṛcchra. Dans un tīrtha, le fruit principal vient du bain rituel ; le second vient aussi du jeûne.

Word by Word

• praṇamya: having bowed
• praṇamya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + √nam (नम् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), उपसर्गपूर्वक (having bowed)

• labhate: obtains
• labhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (लभ् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (present indicative, 3rd person singular, middle)

• pārtha: O Pārtha
• pārtha: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन (masculine, vocative singular)

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, accusative singular)

• kṛcchra-bhavam: arising from the Kṛcchra (penance)
• kṛcchra-bhavam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛcchra (प्रातिपदिक) + bhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे: 'kṛcchrasya bhavam' = arising from penance); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (agreeing with phalam)

• sudhīḥ: the wise person
• sudhīḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su-dhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: कर्मधारय (सु + धी = 'good/intelligent'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine, nominative singular)

• tīrthe: at the sacred ford/place
• tīrthe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (neuter, locative singular)

• mukhya-phalam: the principal fruit
• mukhya-phalam: Karma/Pratijna (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukhya (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: कर्मधारय (mukhyaṃ phalam); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg; here as topic/accusative understood)

• snānāt: from bathing
• snānāt: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (हेतु/कारण), एकवचन (ablative singular)

• dvitīyam: the second (benefit)
• dvitīyam: Karma/Pratijna (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvitīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg; 'the second (fruit)')

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (particle: also/even)

• upoṣaṇāt: from fasting
• upoṣaṇāt: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upoṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (हेतु/कारण), एकवचन (ablative singular)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim bows (praṇāma) on the riverbank after bathing; nearby, another pilgrim observes a simple fast with a water-pot, while priests indicate the primacy of snāna at the tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Pārtha
• Tīrtha
• Snāna
• Upoṣaṇa
• Kṛcchra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

At sacred places, humility (praṇāma) and disciplined practice (snāna and fasting) are ranked as potent sources of merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is presented as a general tīrtha principle within Revā Khaṇḍa; no single site is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Praṇāma (bowing), snāna (holy bathing) as the chief act, and upoṣaṇa (fasting) as the next supporting observance.