Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

अज्ञानाद्यत्कृतं पापं बालभावाच्च यत्कृतम् । तत्सर्वं नाशयेत्पापं स्नानमात्रेण भूपते

Transliteration

ajñānādyatkṛtaṃ pāpaṃ bālabhāvācca yatkṛtam | tatsarvaṃ nāśayetpāpaṃ snānamātreṇa bhūpate

Translation

Ô Roi, tout péché commis par ignorance, et toute faute faite par puérile immaturité—tout cela, le simple bain en ce lieu l’anéantit.

Word by Word

• अज्ञानात्: from ignorance
• अज्ञानात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ (from ignorance)

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (that which)

• कृतम्: done/committed
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Adjectival participle/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘यत्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अत्र ‘यत्कृतम्’ इत्यस्य विशेष्य (sin)

• बालभावात्: from childishness
• बालभावात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल-भाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (बालस्य भावः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• कृतम्: done
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Adjectival participle/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देश (that)

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘तत्’/‘पापम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• नाशयेत्: should destroy
• नाशयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नश् (धातु) (णिच् causative: नाशय)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिच् (causative)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• स्नानमात्रेण: by mere bathing
• स्नानमात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान-मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (स्नानस्य मात्रम्)

• भूपते: O king
• भूपते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhūpati (King) explicitly addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king addressed by a sage on a riverbank; pilgrims entering the water with folded hands; the river depicted as luminous, washing away dark stains that dissolve into the current—symbolizing ajñāna-born pāpa being removed by snāna.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Snāna
• Pāpa
• Bhūpati (King)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred bathing at a tīrtha is portrayed as a powerful purifier, especially for faults born of ignorance and immaturity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā-region tīrtha being praised in Revā Khaṇḍa, Adhyāya 55.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at the tīrtha as a means of pāpa-kṣaya (sin-destruction).