Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

तमासाद्य विमुच्यन्ते येऽपि स्युः पापयोनयः । शिवमर्च्य नदीकूले जायन्ते ते न योनिषु

Transliteration

tamāsādya vimucyante ye'pi syuḥ pāpayonayaḥ | śivamarcya nadīkūle jāyante te na yoniṣu

Translation

ആ പുണ്യസ്ഥാനത്തെ പ്രാപിച്ചാൽ പാപയോനിയിൽ ജനിച്ചവരും മോചിതരാകും. നദീതീരത്ത് ശിവനെ ആരാധിച്ചാൽ അവർ വീണ്ടും സാധാരണ യോനികളിൽ ജനിക്കുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• तम्: that (place/thing)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• आसाद्य: having reached
• आसाद्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-√sad (धातु) + ल्यप् (अव्ययीभाव-भावे)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), ‘आसाद्य’ = प्राप्त्वा (having reached)

• विमुच्यन्ते: are released
• विमुच्यन्ते: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव

• स्युः: might be
• स्युः: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• पापयोनयः: those of sinful births
• पापयोनयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/कर्मधारयार्थे: ‘पापाः योनयः’/‘पापायोनयः’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग ‘योनि’-आधारेण, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• शिवम्: Śiva
• शिवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अर्च्य: having worshipped
• अर्च्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √arc (धातु) + ल्यप्
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), ‘अर्च्य’ = पूजयित्वा (having worshipped)

• नदीकूले: on the riverbank
• नदीकूले: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक) + kūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: नदीस्य कूलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• जायन्ते: are born
• जायन्ते: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• योनिषु: in wombs/births
• योनिषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) [deduced]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīra-Śiva-arcana

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim of humble/‘sinful’ background reaches the Narmadā bank, offers flowers and water to a Śiva-liṅga under riverside trees; the river glows as bonds of rebirth fall away.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Nadī-kūla (riverbank)
• Revā/Narmadā (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva-worship at the sacred riverbank can liberate even heavily burdened beings, breaking the cycle of degrading rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The nadīkūla of Revā/Narmadā—Śiva’s worship-site on the riverbank within Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śiva-arcana (worship of Śiva) on the riverbank.