Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

मुच्यन्ते पातकैः सर्वैरज्ञानज्ञानसंचितैः । गुहामध्ये प्रविष्टस्तु जपेत्सूक्तं तु त्र्यक्षरम्

Transliteration

mucyante pātakaiḥ sarvairajñānajñānasaṃcitaiḥ | guhāmadhye praviṣṭastu japetsūktaṃ tu tryakṣaram

Translation

彼は、無明によって積まれたものも、誤った知によって積まれたものも含め、あらゆる罪から解き放たれる。ゆえに洞窟の奥に入り、聖なる三音節の真言を唱えるべきである。

Word by Word

• mucyante: are released / are freed
• mucyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (Passive), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• pātakaiḥ: by sins
• pātakaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (Neuter), तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• sarvaiḥ: by all
• sarvaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (Neuter), तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम् (Plural); विशेषणम् (qualifier) पातकैः

• ajñāna-jñāna-saṃcitaiḥ: accumulated through ignorance and (false) knowledge
• ajñāna-jñāna-saṃcitaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ajñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃcita (कृदन्त; √ci/चि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (Neuter), तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम् (Plural); विशेषणम् (qualifier) पातकैः; समासः: (ajñāna-jñāna)-saṃcita = 'accumulated by ignorance/knowledge'

• guhā-madhye: in the middle of the cave
• guhā-madhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guhā (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), एकवचनम् (Singular); अधिकरणम् (location)

• praviṣṭaḥ: having entered
• praviṣṭaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-viś (धातु) → praviṣṭa (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम् (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम् (Singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (past passive participle); कर्तरि-विशेषणम् (qualifies implied 'saḥ')

• tu: indeed / but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपातः (particle/emphasis)

• japet: should recite / should mutter
• japet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jap (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• sūktam: a hymn
• sūktam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūkta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपातः (particle/emphasis)

• tryakṣaram: three-syllabled
• tryakṣaram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (Singular); द्विगु-समासः (numerical compound) विशेषणम् (qualifier) सूक्तम्

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śūlabheda (with cave interior practice)

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Avanīpati / king (addressed as ‘O lord of the earth’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim with folded hands enters a dim cave sanctum; a self-manifest liṅga glows faintly; the atmosphere is cool, echoing with mantra; lamps flicker on rock walls.

Characters & Entities

• Guha (cave)
• Tryakṣara mantra (three-syllabled formula)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is accessible through sacred space and sacred sound: entering the holy cave and chanting the mantra leads to release from accumulated sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The cave sanctuary (guhā) associated with the local Śaiva worship sequence in Adhyāya 44.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Enter the cave interior and perform japa of a three-syllabled sacred formula (tryakṣara).