Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

येऽपि भक्तया सकृत्तोये नर्मदाया महेश्वरम् । स्नात्वा ते सर्वं पापं नाशयन्त्यसंशयम्

Transliteration

ye'pi bhaktayā sakṛttoye narmadāyā maheśvaram | snātvā te sarvaṃ pāpaṃ nāśayantyasaṃśayam

Translation

ແມ່ນແຕ່ຜູ້ໃດກໍຕາມ ດ້ວຍພັກຕິ ອາບນ້ຳພຽງຄັ້ງດຽວໃນນ້ຳນະຣະມະດາ ໃນສັນນິທານແຫ່ງພຣະມະເຫສະວະຣ—ຍ່ອມທຳລາຍບາບທັງປວງໄດ້ ບໍ່ມີຄວາມສົງໄສ.

Word by Word

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: even/also)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karaṇa (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सकृत्: once
• सकृत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; संख्यावाचक/आवृत्तिवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (once)

• तोये: in the water
• तोये: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नर्मदायाः: of Narmadā
• नर्मदायाः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महेश्वरम्: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (महान् ईश्वरः)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having bathed)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अन्वय—‘ये … ते’ (correlative)

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘पापम्’)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नाशयन्ति: destroy
• नाशयन्ति: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नाशय् (धातु; णिच् causative of नश्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• असंशयम्: without doubt
• असंशयम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: असंशयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/क्रियाविशेषण (certainly, without doubt)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate narrative context; explicit in Adhyāya 9 opening)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maheśvara-tīrtha on Narmadā (Maheshwar)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Maheshwar’s stepped ghats, a devotee enters the Narmadā once with folded hands; above, a subtle vision of Maheśvara (Śiva) or a liṅga radiates, while dark smoke-like ‘sins’ dissolve into the water’s light.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā (Revā)
• Maheśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional contact with a supreme tīrtha—Narmadā—brings powerful purification, especially when oriented toward Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā (Revā) as a sin-destroying river-tīrtha associated with Maheśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sakṛt-snānā: bathing even once in Narmadā’s waters with devotion (bhakti) and Śiva (Maheśvara) in view.