Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

वाचिकं मानसं पापं कर्मजं यत्पुरा कृतम् । तन्नश्यति न सन्देहो मासनामानुकीर्तनात्

Transliteration

vācikaṃ mānasaṃ pāpaṃ karmajaṃ yatpurā kṛtam | tannaśyati na sandeho māsanāmānukīrtanāt

Translation

വാക്ക്, മനസ്, കർമ്മം എന്നിവകൊണ്ട് മുമ്പ് ചെയ്ത പാപങ്ങൾ—മാസബന്ധമായ (പ്രഭുനാമങ്ങളുടെ) അനുകീർത്തനത്തിലൂടെ—സംശയമില്ലാതെ നശിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• वाचिकम्: verbal (by speech)
• वाचिकम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाचिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; पापम् इति विशेषण

• मानसम्: mental
• मानसम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; पापम् इति विशेषण

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; नश्यति इति कर्तृ (logical subject)

• कर्मजम्: born of action (deed)
• कर्मजम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्मज (प्रातिपदिक: कर्म + ज)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; पापम् इति विशेषण

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun) पापम् इत्यस्य

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time: 'formerly')

• कृतम्: committed / done
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; यत्/पापम् इत्यस्य विशेषण (done/committed)

• तत्: that (sin)
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; अन्वादेश (correlative) पापम् इत्यस्य

• नश्यति: perishes / is destroyed
• नश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present indicative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• न: no / not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात

• सन्देहः: doubt
• सन्देहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; अस्ति (understood) इति कर्तृ

• मासनाम: of the month-names
• मासनाम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मासनामन् (प्रातिपदिक: मास + नामन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; अनुकīर्तनात् इत्यस्य सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• अनुकीर्तनात्: from the recitation (repeated chanting)
• अनुकीर्तनात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनु + कीर्त् (धातु) → अनुकीर्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (cause/source: 'from/by')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee chanting with prayer beads; three shadow-forms labeled speech, mind, action dissolve into light as the month-nāmas rise like a garland around a Viṣṇu emblem.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional remembrance (nāma-kīrtana) is a potent purification that burns away sins across thought, speech, and deed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is specified; the ‘tirtha’ emphasis here is internal—purification through nāma within the Revā Khaṇḍa discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Māsa-nāma-anukīrtana—repeated chanting of the Lord’s month-associated names.