Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्ता नोपसर्पंति वै यमम् । तत्राद्भुतं हि दृष्टं मे पुरा स्नातुं गतेन वै

Transliteration

sarvapāpavinirmuktā nopasarpaṃti vai yamam | tatrādbhutaṃ hi dṛṣṭaṃ me purā snātuṃ gatena vai

Translation

Délivrés de tous les péchés, ils ne s’approchent nullement de Yama. En vérité, jadis j’y vis une chose merveilleuse, lorsque j’étais allé m’y baigner.

Word by Word

• सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्ताः: freed from all sins
• सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पाप + वि + निर् + मुच् (धातु) → विनिर्मुक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; सर्वपापात् विनिर्मुक्ताः (ablative sense in compound)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• उपसर्पन्ति: approach
• उपसर्पन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + सृप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• यमम्: Yama (lord of death)
• यमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय

• अद्भुतम्: a wonder
• अद्भुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; 'a marvel'

• हि: for/indeed
• हि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (causal/emphatic)

• दृष्टम्: was seen
• दृष्टम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थ 'seen' (with मे)

• मे: by me/to me
• मे: Karta (Experiencer/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; 'of me' = by me/for me (genitive used for agent/experiencer)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• स्नातुम्: to bathe
• स्नातुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), 'to bathe'

• गतेन: by (me) having gone
• गतेन: Karta (Agent-in-instrumental/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; मया (understood) गतेन = 'by me having gone'

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

Speaker

Bhṛgu (contextual, first-person narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Staṃbha-tīrtha

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a muni

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims emerge from sacred waters with a subtle aura of release; in the unseen realm, Yama’s messengers withdraw, while the narrator recalls a wondrous event witnessed during his own bath-journey.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Staṃbha-tīrtha (implied)
• Snāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-sevā is presented as transformative: purification is so complete that the fear of Yama (punitive consequence) is symbolically removed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The context continues the praise of Staṃbha-tīrtha at the Mahī–Sāgara confluence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) is explicitly referenced, with the stated fruit of sarva-pāpa-kṣaya (removal of all sins).