Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

नरकापहं महापुण्यं महापातकनाशनम् । तत्तीर्थं सर्वतीर्थानामुत्तमं भुवि दुर्लभम्

Transliteration

narakāpahaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam | tattīrthaṃ sarvatīrthānāmuttamaṃ bhuvi durlabham

Translation

ആ തീർത്ഥം നരകാപഹം, മഹാപുണ്യദായകം, മഹാപാതകനാശകം. ഭൂമിയിൽ ദുർലഭമായ അത് സർവ്വതീർത്ഥങ്ങളിൽ ഉത്തമം.

Word by Word

• नरकापहम्: removing hell (hell-dispelling)
• नरकापहम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of tīrtha)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक) + अपह (प्रातिपदिक; √हृ/अप-√हृ ‘to remove’ से)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; समासः: नरकं अपहन्ति इति/नरकस्य अपहः (तत्पुरुष)

• महापुण्यम्: greatly meritorious
• महापुण्यम्: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः: महत्+पुण्यम् (कर्मधारय)

• महापातकनाशनम्: destroyer of great sins
• महापातकनाशनम्: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक; √नश्-नाशे)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः: महा-पातकानां नाशनम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; पूर्वपदे कर्मधारय: महत्+पातक)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Demonstrative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (समासे/सन्धौ पूर्वपद)

• तीर्थम्: sacred place, tīrtha
• तीर्थम्: Visheshya (Topic/that tīrtha)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सर्वतीर्थानाम्: of all sacred places
• सर्वतीर्थानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive: among/of all tīrthas)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन; समासः: सर्व+तीर्थ (कर्मधारय)

• उत्तमम्: the best
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• दुर्लभम्: hard to obtain, rare
• दुर्लभम्: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + लभ्य (प्रातिपदिक; √लभ्-लाभे)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (narratorial/teacher voice within Revākhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narakeśvara Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at a Narmadā ghāṭ with a banner-like inscription ‘narakāpaha’; a dark, distant ‘naraka’ motif dissolves into light near the Śiva shrine, symbolizing pāpa-kṣaya.

Characters & Entities

• Narakeśvara
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is spiritually potent: a properly revered tīrtha can eradicate grave sin and redirect destiny toward liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narakeśvara Tīrtha on the Narmadā, praised as supreme among tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit procedure is stated; the promise of mahāpuṇya and mahāpātaka-nāśa implies pilgrimage, snāna, and devotion at Narakeśvara.