Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

उपवासेन सहितं महानद्यां हि मज्जनम् । अप्यर्वाग्योजनात्पार्थ दद्यात्कृच्छ्रफलं नृणाम्

Transliteration

upavāsena sahitaṃ mahānadyāṃ hi majjanam | apyarvāgyojanātpārtha dadyātkṛcchraphalaṃ nṛṇām

Translation

Ô Pārtha, l’immersion dans un grand fleuve, accompagnée du jeûne, même accomplie à moins d’une yojana de distance, confère aux hommes un mérite égal à celui de la pénitence du Kṛcchra.

Word by Word

• उपवासेन: by fasting
• उपवासेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; instrumental of means

• सहितम्: accompanied (together)
• सहितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहित (कृदन्त; √सह् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; past passive participle used adjectivally; agrees with ‘मज्जनम्’

• महानद्याम्: in the great river
• महानद्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महानदी (प्रातिपदिक; महा + नदी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; locative of place

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

• मज्जनम्: bathing (immersion)
• मज्जनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मज्जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; verbal noun ‘bathing/immersion’

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), ‘even/also’

• अर्वाक्: on this side of; within
• अर्वाक्: Desha (Spatial qualifier/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अर्वाक् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-स्वरूप)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/preposition-like), ‘this side of/below’

• योजनात्: from a yojana (distance)
• योजनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; ablative ‘from/than (a yojana)’

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन; address

• दद्यात्: would give; should yield
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘should give/produce’

• कृच्छ्रफलम्: the fruit of a kṛcchra penance
• कृच्छ्रफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ्र-फल (प्रातिपदिक; कृच्छ्र + फल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; object of ‘दद्यात्’

• नृणाम्: of people
• नृणाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; genitive ‘of men’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (to Yudhiṣṭhira) [contextual deduction across Revā Khaṇḍa dialogue]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: महानदी-स्नान (Revā-context implied)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (Pārtha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands at dawn on a broad sacred riverbank, having fasted, then performs full immersion with folded hands; sages witness and bless, with the river personified as a goddess.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When tīrtha-bathing is joined with self-restraint (fasting), it becomes a potent purificatory act comparable to formal expiatory austerities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A ‘great river’ (mahānadi) is praised—consistent with Revā Khaṇḍa’s riverine tīrtha-mahātmya (centered on the Revā/Narmadā tradition).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Upavāsa (fasting) together with majjana (immersive bath) in a mahānadi; the stated result is kṛcchra-phala (fruit of the Kṛcchra penance).