Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

यस्या दर्शनमात्रेण नश्यते पापसञ्चयः । स्नानमात्रेण वै यस्या अश्वमेधफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

yasyā darśanamātreṇa naśyate pāpasañcayaḥ | snānamātreṇa vai yasyā aśvamedhaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

അവളെ വെറും ദർശനം മാത്രത്താൽ പാപസഞ്ചയം നശിക്കുന്നു; അവളിൽ വെറും സ്നാനം മാത്രത്താൽ അശ്വമേധയാഗഫലം ലഭിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• यस्याः: of whom/whose
• यस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• दर्शन-मात्रेण: by mere sight
• दर्शन-मात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (दर्शनस्य मात्रम्)

• नश्यते: is destroyed/perishes
• नश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• पाप-सञ्चयः: accumulation of sins
• पाप-सञ्चयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + सञ्चय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (पापानां सञ्चयः)

• स्नान-मात्रेण: by mere bathing
• स्नान-मात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (स्नानस्य मात्रम्)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

• यस्याः: of whom/whose
• यस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• अश्वमेध-फलम्: the fruit of the Aśvamedha (sacrifice)
• अश्वमेध-फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (अश्वमेधस्य फलम्)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Śiva (deduced: dialogue addressing Devī/Umā in Revā Khaṇḍa style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā (Revā)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims stand at a luminous riverbank; one beholds the Narmadā with awe, another enters for snāna, while symbolic imagery hints at Aśvamedha merit (horse-banner or sacrificial iconography) dissolving into river-light.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is salvific: even simple contact—seeing and bathing—at a great tīrtha can dissolve heavy karmic burdens.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā, i.e., the Narmadā River, praised as a liberating tīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in the river; also darśana (reverent viewing) is presented as spiritually efficacious.