Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

अथ यः परया भक्त्या स्नानं देवस्य कारयेत् । स प्राप्नोति परं लोकं यावदाभूतसम्प्लवम्

Transliteration

atha yaḥ parayā bhaktyā snānaṃ devasya kārayet | sa prāpnoti paraṃ lokaṃ yāvadābhūtasamplavam

Translation

Kini, siapa pun yang dengan bhakti tertinggi menyelenggarakan upacara pemandian (snāna) bagi Sang Dewa, ia mencapai loka tertinggi yang bertahan hingga pralaya kosmis.

Word by Word

• अथ: then/now
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (sequencing particle: “then/now”)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन (Singular)

• परया: with supreme/utmost
• परया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन

• स्नानम्: bath/ritual bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• देवस्य: of the deity
• देवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन

• कारयेत्: should cause (to be done)
• कारयेत्: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: णिच्-प्रयोजक (causative); विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• प्राप्नोति: attains
• प्राप्नोति: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present Indicative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण

• लोकम्: world/realm
• लोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• यावत्: as long as; until
• यावत्: Desha-Kala-Adhikarana (Temporal limit/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-सूचक (limit/extent marker: “as long as/until”)

• आभूतसम्प्लवम्: up to the cosmic deluge
• आभूतसम्प्लवम्: Desha-Kala-Adhikarana (Temporal extent/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ-भूत-सम्प्लव (प्रातिपदिक); घटकाः: आ + भूत + सम्प्लव
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-समासार्थः: “भूतानां सम्प्लवः” (deluge of beings) उपसर्ग ‘आ’ सह (up to/unto)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Revā Khaṇḍa narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava (addressed in adjacent verses; likely Yudhiṣṭhira)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee sponsors the ceremonial bathing of the Lord at a riverside shrine: priests pour water in streams over a liṅga or deity image; Revā river glitters nearby; lamps, bilva leaves, and conch-sounds frame the rite; the ‘parama-loka’ is hinted as a luminous celestial horizon.

Characters & Entities

• Deva (the Lord/deity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Serving the deity through devotional abhiṣeka is exalted as a path to the highest spiritual realm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā-region tīrthas in which such worship and bathing rites are praised in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arrange or sponsor the deity’s ritual bath (snāna/abhiṣeka) with supreme devotion.