Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

ऋणमोचनमित्याख्यं रेवातटसमाश्रितम् । षण्मासं मनुजो भक्त्या तर्पयन् पितृदेवताः

Transliteration

ṛṇamocanamityākhyaṃ revātaṭasamāśritam | ṣaṇmāsaṃ manujo bhaktyā tarpayan pitṛdevatāḥ

Translation

«On l’appelle Ṛṇamocana, “le Libérateur des dettes”, situé sur la rive de la Revā. Pendant six mois, une personne, avec dévotion, en offrant le tarpaṇa, doit apaiser les Pitṛ-devas, les puissances ancestrales».

Word by Word

• ऋणमोचनम्: (a place called) ‘Debt-release’
• ऋणमोचनम्: Karma/Adhikarana (Appositional object/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋण (प्रातिपदिक) + मोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष (ऋणस्य मोचनम् = release from debt)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/नामनिर्देशार्थ अव्यय (quotative particle)

• आख्यम्: named
• आख्यम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘नाम’ अर्थे (named/called)

• रेवातटसमाश्रितम्: situated on the bank of the Revā
• रेवातटसमाश्रितम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक) + तट (प्रातिपदिक) + समाश्रित (कृदन्त, सम्+आ+श्रि धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष (रेवायाः तटम्; तस्मिन् समाश्रितम् = situated on the bank); कृदन्त: क्त (past passive participle)

• षण्मासम्: for six months
• षण्मासम्: Kala-adhikarana (Duration/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षट् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समास: द्विगु (षट् मासाः = six months)

• मनुजः: a man
• मनुजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Hetu/Karana (Means/Instrument/हेतु-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• तर्पयन्: satisfying (by offerings)
• तर्पयन्: Kriya-viseshana (Participial predicate/सहायकक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present active participle), परस्मैपदी; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; धातु: तृप् (to satisfy) causative sense in usage ‘to offer libations/satisfy’

• पितृदेवताः: the Pitṛ-deities (ancestors)
• पितृदेवताः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन; समास: कर्मधारय (पितर एव देवताः = the Fathers as deities)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ṛṇamocana

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn on the Narmadā bank, a devotee stands waist-deep or at the water’s edge, offering tarpaṇa with cupped hands; black sesame and water stream back into the river; subtle presence of pitṛs as luminous, satisfied silhouettes; a small shrine and banyan nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Ṛṇamocana Tīrtha
• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion expressed through sustained ancestral offerings at a sanctified riverbank is taught as a means of purification and release from burden (ṛṇa).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ṛṇamocana Tīrtha, located on the Revā/Narmadā riverbank.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform Pitṛ-tarpaṇa with devotion for a six-month observance (ṣaṇmāsa).