Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

देवैः पितृमनुष्यैश्च ऋणमात्मकृतं च यत् । मुच्यते तत्क्षणान्मर्त्यः स्नातो वै नर्मदाजले

Transliteration

devaiḥ pitṛmanuṣyaiśca ṛṇamātmakṛtaṃ ca yat | mucyate tatkṣaṇānmartyaḥ snāto vai narmadājale

Translation

«Toute dette contractée—envers les dieux, envers les ancêtres et envers les autres humains—est effacée à l’instant même, lorsque le mortel se baigne dans les eaux de la Narmadā».

Word by Word

• देवैः: by/with the gods
• देवैः: Sambandha (Source/association/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• पितृमनुष्यैः: by/with ancestors and humans
• पितृमनुष्यैः: Sambandha (Source/association/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; समास: द्वन्द्व (पितरश्च मनुष्याश्च = ancestors and humans)

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

• ऋणम्: debt
• ऋणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आत्मकृतम्: self-incurred
• आत्मकृतम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृ धातु, कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष (आत्मना कृतम् = done by oneself); कृदन्त: क्त (past passive participle)

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

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

• मुच्यते: is freed/released
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: is released)

• तत्क्षणात्: immediately
• तत्क्षणात्: Kala-adhikarana (Time point/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष (तस्मिन् क्षणे/ततः क्षणात् = immediately)

• मर्त्यः: a mortal
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; कृदन्त: क्त (past passive participle)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/खल्वर्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• नर्मदाजले: in the waters of the Narmadā
• नर्मदाजले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष (नर्मदायाः जलम् = water of Narmadā)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ṛṇamocana (by immediate context) / Narmadā-snānaphala

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim steps into the Narmadā; as water touches the body, symbolic chains labeled deva-ṛṇa, pitṛ-ṛṇa, manuṣya-ṛṇa dissolve; above, devas and pitṛs appear appeased; the river shines as a goddess-like presence.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• devas
• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma emphasizes obligations to gods, ancestors, and society; tīrtha-bathing is praised as a powerful purifier that helps one transcend these burdens through grace and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā/Revā waters (within the Ṛṇamocana tīrtha context) are presented as instantly liberating.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in Narmadā-jala is the stated act producing the fruit.