Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

यत्र स्थितैः प्रदृश्यन्ते वृक्षाग्राणि नरोत्तमैः । तत्र स्थिता महापापैर्मुच्यन्ते पूर्वसंचितैः

Transliteration

yatra sthitaiḥ pradṛśyante vṛkṣāgrāṇi narottamaiḥ | tatra sthitā mahāpāpairmucyante pūrvasaṃcitaiḥ

Translation

ഹേ നരോത്തമാ! എവിടെ നിൽക്കുന്നവർക്ക് വൃക്ഷങ്ങളുടെ അഗ്രങ്ങളും ദൃശ്യമാകുന്നുവോ, അവിടെ വസിക്കുന്നവൻ മുൻസഞ്ചിത മഹാപാപങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് മോചിതനാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb: where)

• स्थितैः: by those standing
• स्थितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/सह), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• प्रदृश्यन्ते: are seen/appear
• प्रदृश्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: are seen)

• वृक्षाग्राणि: tree-tops
• वृक्षाग्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वृक्षस्य अग्राणि)

• नरोत्तमैः: by the best of men
• नरोत्तमैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नराणाम् उत्तमाः)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (there)

• स्थिताः: (those) standing
• स्थिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; कर्तृवाचक-विशेषण (those who are standing)

• महापापैः: from great sins
• महापापैः: Apadana (Ablative sense/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महानि पापानि)

• मुच्यन्ते: are freed
• मुच्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (are released)

• पूर्वसंचितैः: previously accumulated
• पूर्वसंचितैः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + संचित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; सम्+चि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषभावः (पूर्वं संचितैः = previously accumulated); विशेषणम् (to पापैः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Skanda Purāṇa narrative voice within Revā-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śukla-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims stand at a peculiar riverbank/terrace where treetops appear unusually visible; the landscape itself becomes a sacred indicator, while the air feels cleansing and still.

Characters & Entities

• Śukla-tīrtha (implied)
• Mahāpāpa (great sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with a tīrtha—simply being present there with faith—can dissolve long-stored karmic impurities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śukla-tīrtha in the Revā-khaṇḍa setting (explicitly named in the immediately preceding verse).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Staying/standing at the tīrtha (tīrtha-vāsa) as a purifying observance; snāna is implied by context.