Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

तत्र स्नानेन मनुजः सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते । सरयूश्च नदी विप्रा गंधमादनपर्वते

Transliteration

tatra snānena manujaḥ sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate | sarayūśca nadī viprā gaṃdhamādanaparvate

Translation

En s’y baignant, l’homme est délivré de tous les péchés. Ô dame brāhmaṇa, le fleuve Sarayū s’y trouve aussi, sur le mont Gandhamādana.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: ‘there’)

• स्नानेन: by bathing
• स्नानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

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

• सर्वपापैः: from all sins
• सर्वपापैः: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), बहुवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (‘all’ + ‘sins’)

• प्रमुच्यते: is freed
• प्रमुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive); प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• सरयूः: Sarayū (river)
• सरयूः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरयू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• नदी: river
• नदी: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विप्राः: O brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थेऽपि प्रयोगः (addressing sense possible)

• गन्धमादनपर्वते: on/at Gandhamādana mountain
• गन्धमादनपर्वते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धमादन + पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘Gandhamādana’ + ‘mountain’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Setukhaṇḍa Māhātmya narration context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gandhamādana-snānāṅga (Sarayū-sannidhi)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: viprā (addressed as ‘O brāhmaṇa lady’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim bathing at a crystalline mountain spring on Gandhamādana; the river Sarayū is personified as a goddess emerging among Himalayan peaks, with sages witnessing the rite.

Characters & Entities

• Snāna
• Sarayū River
• Gandhamādana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is achieved through humble ritual action—tīrtha-snāna is depicted as a direct means of karmic cleansing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setu/Gandhamādana tīrthas, with special mention of the Sarayū river there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at the sacred place/river.