Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । तिलोदकी तिलस्नायी कामक्रोधविवर्जितः । ब्राह्मणोऽनशनैः प्राणांस्त्यजल्लभति सद्गतिम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | tilodakī tilasnāyī kāmakrodhavivarjitaḥ | brāhmaṇo'naśanaiḥ prāṇāṃstyajallabhati sadgatim

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya dit : Le brāhmaṇa qui se nourrit d’eau au sésame, se baigne avec du sésame et demeure exempt de désir et de colère, en abandonnant la vie par le jeûne obtient une destinée bénie.

Word by Word

• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्रीमार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Perfect, Parasmaipada, 3rd person singular

• तिलोदकी: one who uses sesame-water
• तिलोदकी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (तिलयुक्तम् उदकम् यस्य/तिलोदकं पिबति इति—प्रयोगे विशेषण), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular; qualifying the person

• तिलस्नायी: one who bathes with sesame
• तिलस्नायी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक) + स्नायी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (तिलेन स्नायी), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• कामक्रोधविवर्जितः: free from desire and anger
• कामक्रोधविवर्जितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक) + क्रोध (प्रातिपदिक) + विवर्जित (वि + वर्ज् धातु, क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (द्वन्द्वपूर्वपद: काम-क्रोधौ; ताभ्यां विवर्जितः), क्त-कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Past participial adjective, Masculine nominative singular

• ब्राह्मणः: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• अनशनैः: by fasts/through fasting
• अनशनैः: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — Neuter, Instrumental plural

• प्राणान्: life-breaths/life
• प्राणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन — Masculine, Accusative plural

• त्यजत्: abandoning (giving up)
• त्यजत्: Karta (Agent participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Present active participle ‘abandoning’ (sandhi form before ‘लभति’)

• लभति: obtains
• लभति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present, Parasmaipada, 3rd person singular

• सद्गतिम्: good destination
• सद्गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक) + गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (सत् एव गतिः), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative singular

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa ascetic on a riverbank performs sesame-bath, then sits in stillness with a simple water-pot; a small bowl of sesame and water is nearby; his face is calm, suggesting conquest of desire and anger.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity of conduct—restraint of passion and anger—combined with disciplined austerity is praised as a means to auspicious liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse emphasizes vrata and inner discipline; the broader Revā Khaṇḍa context relates to sacred observances connected with the Revā (Narmadā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tilodaka (sesame-water), tilasnāna (sesame-bath), and anaśana (fasting as an end-of-life austerity), along with kāma-krodha restraint.