Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 200

Devanagari script

भ्रूणहत्यासमं पापं नश्यते शङ्करोऽब्रवीत् । प्राणत्यागं च यो भक्त्या जातवेदसि कारयेत्

Transliteration

bhrūṇahatyāsamaṃ pāpaṃ naśyate śaṅkaro'bravīt | prāṇatyāgaṃ ca yo bhaktyā jātavedasi kārayet

Translation

ശങ്കരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഭ്രൂണഹത്യയ്‌ക്ക് തുല്യമായ പാപവും നശിക്കുന്നു. ഭക്തിയോടെ ജാതവേദസ് തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ പ്രാണത്യാഗം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ…

Word by Word

• भ्रूणहत्या-समम्: equal to (the sin of) foetus-murder
• भ्रूणहत्या-समम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भ्रूणहत्या (प्रातिपदिक) + सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (उपमान-तत्पुरुषः); agrees with पापम्

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• नश्यते: perishes, is destroyed
• नश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• शङ्करः: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शङ्करः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• अब्रवीत्: said, spoke
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/अorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्राण-त्यागम्: giving up of life
• प्राण-त्यागम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक) + त्याग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: प्राणानां त्यागः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

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

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

• जातवेदसि: in/at Jātavedas (fire)
• जातवेदसि: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जातवेदस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• कारयेत्: should cause (to be done), should perform (by causing)
• कारयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) [णिच् causative]
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोगः (causative: ‘cause to do’)

Speaker

Skanda (quoting Śaṅkara/Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jātavedas

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpaśreṣṭha (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king listens as a Śaiva sage cites Śaṅkara’s pronouncement: at Jātavedas-tīrtha, a devotee relinquishing life in devotion attains sin-destruction; the riverbank glows with sacrificial-fire imagery implied by the name Jātavedas.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Jātavedas (tīrtha/name of Agni)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha’s sanctity is portrayed as so great that even grave sins are said to be annulled through devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jātavedas, presented as a powerful tīrtha within the Revā Khaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A devotion-based undertaking connected with Jātavedas; the text frames it in terms of prāṇa-tyāga (final relinquishing), continuing into the next verse.