Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

अवाह्यवाहिते यत्स्याददोह्यादोहने यथा । स्नानमात्रेण तस्यैवं यान्ति पापान्यनेकधा

Transliteration

avāhyavāhite yatsyādadohyādohane yathā | snānamātreṇa tasyaivaṃ yānti pāpānyanekadhā

Translation

Sebagaimana ada dosa ketika memaksa yang tak patut dipikul untuk dipikul, atau memerah yang tak patut diperah; demikian pula, dengan mandi saja di air suci itu, dosa-dosa lenyap dalam banyak cara.

Word by Word

• अवाह्यवाहिते: in (the case of) not being carried and being carried
• अवाह्यवाहिते: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-वाह्य + वाहित (कृदन्त; √वह् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमीविभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः (अवाह्ये च वाहिते च) — locative absolute sense ‘in (a case of) non-carriage and carriage’

• यत्: whatever (that)
• यत्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/प्रथमा or 2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचकं सर्वनाम

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: क्रिया (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अदोह्य: in (a case of) not-to-be-milked
• अदोह्य: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-दोह्य (कृदन्त; √दुह् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमीविभक्ति, एकवचन; नञ्-पूर्वकं ‘दोह्य’ (gerundive) — ‘not to be milked’

• आदोहने: in milking
• आदोहने: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ-दोहन (प्रातिपदिक; √दुह् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमीविभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘milking’ (act)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: सम्बन्ध (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/दृष्टान्तवाचक (comparative particle)

• स्नानमात्रेण: by mere bathing
• स्नानमात्रेण: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘स्नानस्य मात्रम्’ — instrumental ‘by mere bathing’

• तस्य: of that (person/act)
• तस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (manner adverb)

• यान्ति: go away / depart
• यान्ति: क्रिया (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• पापानि: sins
• पापानि: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• अनेकधा: in many ways
• अनेकधा: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनेकधा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/विभागवाचक (adverb ‘in many ways’)

Speaker

Narrator (tīrtha-snana phala statement)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) Snāna-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims descend stone steps to a broad, calm river; a sage instructs them on purity while symbolic ‘sins’ dissolve like dark smoke over the water.

Characters & Entities

• Snāna (bathing)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snana is presented as a powerful purifier that dissolves diverse moral faults through sacred contact.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā/Narmadā tīrtha (implied by the surrounding Revākhaṇḍa context).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing), emphasized as effective even when performed as the sole act.