Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

स्कन्दतीर्थे तु यः स्नात्वा पूजयेत्पितृदेवताः । तिलमिश्रेण तोयेन तस्य पुण्यफलं शृणु

Transliteration

skandatīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā pūjayetpitṛdevatāḥ | tilamiśreṇa toyena tasya puṇyaphalaṃ śṛṇu

Translation

സ്കന്ദതീർത്ഥത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് എള്ളുകലർന്ന ജലത്തോടെ പിതൃദേവതകളെ പൂജിക്കുന്നവന്റെ പുണ്യഫലം കേൾക്കുക—അത് മഹത്തായിരിക്കും.

Word by Word

• स्कन्दतीर्थे: at Skanda-tīrtha
• स्कन्दतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Skanda-sya tīrthe); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (loc sg)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nom sg)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-कृदन्त (gerund): having bathed

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg): should worship

• पितृदेवताः: the Pitṛ-deities (ancestors)
• पितृदेवताः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (pitar eva devatāḥ = the Pitṛs who are deities); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (देवता), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (nom/acc pl)

• तिलमिश्रेण: mixed with sesame
• तिलमिश्रेण: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक) + मिश्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (tila-miśreṇa = mixed with sesame); पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया, एकवचन (instr sg)

• तोयेन: with water
• तोयेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instr sg)

• तस्य: of him; his
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन (gen sg)

• पुण्यफलम्: meritorious fruit
• पुण्यफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (puṇyasya phalam); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (acc sg)

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Imperative/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (2nd sg): hear

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (contextually Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya addressing the King)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Skanda-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After bathing, a pilgrim stands facing the river, offering cupped-hand libations of sesame-water to the Pitṛs, with a calm, ancestral presence implied.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage bathing becomes complete when joined to dharmic duty—here, honoring the Pitṛs with prescribed offerings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Skanda-tīrtha, praised in the Revā Khaṇḍa of the Āvantya Khaṇḍa (Narmadā sacred landscape).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at the tīrtha followed by Pitṛ-pūjā using water mixed with sesame (tila).