Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

भ्रमन्ति ये तीरमुपेत्य देव्यास्त्रिकालदेवार्चनसत्यपूताः । विण्मूत्रचर्मास्थितिरोपधानाः कुक्षौ युवत्या न वसन्ति भूयः

Transliteration

bhramanti ye tīramupetya devyāstrikāladevārcanasatyapūtāḥ | viṇmūtracarmāsthitiropadhānāḥ kukṣau yuvatyā na vasanti bhūyaḥ

Translation

ദേവിയുടെ തീരത്തെത്തിയ ശേഷം സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്നവർ—ത്രികാല ദേവാരാധനയും സത്യാചരണവും കൊണ്ട് ശുദ്ധരായവർ—ഈ ദേഹം മല, മൂത്രം, ചർമ്മം, അസ്ഥി എന്നിവയുടെ ആധാരമാത്രം; അവർ വീണ്ടും യുവതിയുടെ ഗർഭത്തിൽ വസിക്കുകയില്ല।

Word by Word

• bhramanti: wander
• bhramanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhram (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन

• tīram: the bank
• tīram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे), द्वितीया एकवचन

• upetya: having approached
• upetya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Gerundial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: upa√i (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; having approached

• devyāḥ: of the goddess (Revā)
• devyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचन; Genitive singular (of the goddess)

• tri-kāla-deva-arcana-satya-pūtāḥ: purified by thrice-daily worship of the gods and by truthfulness
• tri-kāla-deva-arcana-satya-pūtāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक) + arcana (प्रातिपदिक) + satya (प्रातिपदिक) + pūta (कृदन्त; √pū)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (त्रिकाले देव-अर्चनेन सत्येन च पूताः)

• viṇ-mūtra-carma-asthi-iti-ropadhānāḥ: whose ‘pillow’ is (made of) feces, urine, skin, and bones (i.e., embodied beings)
• viṇ-mūtra-carma-asthi-iti-ropadhānāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṇ (प्रातिपदिक) + mūtra (प्रातिपदिक) + carman (प्रातिपदिक) + asthi (प्रातिपदिक) + iti (अव्यय) + upadhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (विण्मूत्रचर्मास्थि-इति उपधानं येषाम्) देह-निन्दार्थे

• kukṣau: in the womb
• kukṣau: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kukṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन; Locative singular (in the womb)

• yuvatyāḥ: of a young woman
• yuvatyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचन; Genitive singular (of a young woman)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• vasanti: dwell/live
• vasanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vas (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• bhūyaḥ: again
• bhūyaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: again/further)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā tīra (Devī-tīra)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims walking along the Narmadā bank, stopping thrice daily to worship; a subtle overlay shows the body as a fragile vessel of impurities, while above them a closed womb motif symbolizes 'no return' and a clear sky symbolizes release.

Characters & Entities

• Devī Revā (Narmadā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage joined with truth and disciplined daily worship is taught as a means to end rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The bank of the Goddess Revā (Narmadā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Trikāla-devārcana (worship three times daily) and satya (truthfulness) during tīrtha-wandering.