Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

एकविंशकुलोपेतो यावदाभूतसम्प्लवम् । शुक्लतीर्थे नरः स्नात्वा ह्युमां रुद्रं च योऽर्चयेत्

Transliteration

ekaviṃśakulopeto yāvadābhūtasamplavam | śuklatīrthe naraḥ snātvā hyumāṃ rudraṃ ca yo'rcayet

Translation

ശുക്ലതീർത്ഥത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് ഉമയെയും രുദ്രനെയും ആരാധിക്കുന്നവൻ ഇരുപത്തൊന്ന് തലമുറകളെ ഉയർത്തുന്ന പുണ്യം പ്രാപിച്ച്, അത് പ്രളയാന്തം വരെ നിലനിൽക്കും.

Word by Word

• एकविंशकुलोपेतः: endowed with twenty-one generations (of lineage)
• एकविंशकुलोपेतः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकविंशति (प्रातिपदिक) + कुल (प्रातिपदिक) + उपेत (उप + इ (धातु), क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषण—(नरः); अर्थः ‘एकविंशत्-कुलैः उपेतः’ (endowed with twenty-one lineages)

• यावत्: as long as, until
• यावत्: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb), परिमाण/अवधि (extent/limit)

• आभूतसम्प्लवम्: until the cosmic dissolution
• आभूतसम्प्लवम्: Karma (Extent/अवधिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग) + भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्प्लव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे ‘आ’ उपसर्गसदृशः—‘आभूत’ = ‘भूतपर्यन्त’; ‘भूतसम्प्लव’ = प्रलय (cosmic dissolution)

• शुक्लतीर्थे: at Śukla-tīrtha
• शुक्लतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक्ल (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव, पूर्वक्रिया

• हि: indeed
• हि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेतौ/अवधारणे (for emphasis/indeed)

• उमाम्: Umā
• उमाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• रुद्रम्: Rudra
• रुद्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śuklatīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Śuklatīrtha’s bright riverbank, a pilgrim bathes and then worships a paired iconography of Umā and Rudra; ancestral figures appear subtly in the background as beneficiaries, suggesting 21-generation uplift.

Characters & Entities

• Śuklatīrtha
• Umā
• Rudra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha worship is portrayed as not only personal but ancestral—devotion can elevate one’s lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śuklatīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing at Śuklatīrtha followed by worship (arcana) of Umā and Rudra.