Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

पापमोचनतीर्थे तु पूर्वं तु सरयूजले । धनुःशतप्रमाणेन वर्त्तते तीर्थमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

pāpamocanatīrthe tu pūrvaṃ tu sarayūjale | dhanuḥśatapramāṇena varttate tīrthamuttamam

Translation

Au Pāpamocana Tīrtha — sur la rive orientale, dans les eaux de la Sarayū — ce vénérable gué sacré s’étend sur la mesure de cent arcs.

Word by Word

• pāpamocana-tīrthe: at the sin-removing ford (tīrtha)
• pāpamocana-tīrthe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + mocana (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (pāpānāṃ mocanam) + तत्पुरुषः (mocana-tīrtham)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle)

• pūrvam: to the east / beforehand
• pūrvam: Desha/Kala-adhikarana (देश/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: काल/दिशावाचक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘पूर्वम्’ = earlier/eastward)

• tu: and/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle)

• sarayū-jale: in the waters of the Sarayū
• sarayū-jale: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarayū (प्रातिपदिक) + jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (sarayvāḥ jalam)

• dhanuḥśata-pramāṇena: by a measure of a hundred bows
• dhanuḥśata-pramāṇena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanuḥ (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक) + pramāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः — ‘धनुषां शतं’ (measure of a hundred bows) + ‘प्रमाणेन’ (by measure)

• varttate: exists/extends
• varttate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛt (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• tīrtham: the sacred ford
• tīrtham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• uttamam: excellent/supreme
• uttamam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (tīrtham)

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced; Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa Ayodhyāmāhātmya dialogic style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pāpamocana-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like sacred panorama: Sarayū river with an indicated eastern bank; a long stretch of water labeled ‘Pāpamocana’, pilgrims bathing along a broad ford.

Characters & Entities

• Pāpamocana Tīrtha
• Sarayū

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic māhātmyas anchor spiritual practice in real sacred geography, giving concrete location and extent to the tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pāpamocana Tīrtha in Ayodhyā, situated in the Sarayū’s waters, is explicitly described.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite is prescribed; the verse provides geographic identification to guide pilgrims to the proper bathing area.