Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तेन तीर्थं महापुण्यं सर्वपातकनाशनम् । कथितं ब्रह्मणा पूर्वं मया तव तथा नृप

Transliteration

tena tīrthaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ sarvapātakanāśanam | kathitaṃ brahmaṇā pūrvaṃ mayā tava tathā nṛpa

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട് ഈ തീർത്ഥം മഹാപുണ്യപ്രദവും സർവപാതകനാശകവും ആകുന്നു. ഇത് മുൻപ് ബ്രഹ്മാവ് പ്രസ്താവിച്ചു; ഹേ നൃപാ, അതുപോലെ ഞാൻയും നിനക്കു അറിയിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• तेन: therefore/by that
• तेन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/हेतु), एकवचन

• तीर्थम्: the holy place/ford
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महापुण्यम्: greatly meritorious
• महापुण्यम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः; विशेषणम् (to तीर्थम्)

• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: destroyer of all sins
• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वपातकानां नाशनम्); विशेषणम् (to तीर्थम्)

• कथितम्: was told/declared
• कथितम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु) → कथित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; कर्मणि-भावः (has been told/declared)

• ब्रह्मणा: by Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणा: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (formerly/before)

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तव: to you/your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• तथा: thus/likewise
• तथा: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus/in the same way)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; addressing a king as listener)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śukla-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-like narrator addresses a king, gesturing toward the river tīrtha; behind them, a subtle iconographic presence of Brahmā signifies prior proclamation and scriptural authority.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Tīrtha (Śukla-tīrtha implied)
• Nṛpa (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-māhātmya is validated by lineage of revelation: what Brahmā taught is reaffirmed for devotees and rulers alike.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śukla-tīrtha (the tīrtha under discussion across these verses).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite; the verse authorizes the teaching and reiterates the tīrtha’s universal sin-destroying power.