Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

अगम्यागमने पापमयाज्ययाजने कृते । स्तेयाच्च ब्रह्मगोहत्यागुरुघाताच्च पातकम् । तत्सर्वं नश्यते पापं वृषोत्सर्गे कृते तु वै

Transliteration

agamyāgamane pāpamayājyayājane kṛte | steyācca brahmagohatyāgurughātācca pātakam | tatsarvaṃ naśyate pāpaṃ vṛṣotsarge kṛte tu vai

Translation

അഗമ്യഗമനം, അയോഗ്യനുവേണ്ടി യാഗം നടത്തിക്കൽ, മോഷണം, ബ്രാഹ്മണഹത്യ, ഗോഹത്യ, ഗുരുഹത്യ എന്നിവയിൽ നിന്നുള്ള പാതകം—വൃഷോത്സർഗം ചെയ്താൽ അതെല്ലാം നശിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अगम्यागमने: in forbidden intercourse/approach
• अगम्यागमने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगम्य (कृदन्त; √गम् with अ-; ‘not to be approached’) + आगमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन (locative: ‘in the act of going to the unapproachable/forbidden’)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (here as subject with नश्यते)

• अयाज्ययाजने: in sacrificing for an unfit person
• अयाज्ययाजने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयाज्य (प्रातिपदिक; ‘one who should not be sacrificed for’) + याजन (प्रातिपदिक; ‘sacrificing/performing sacrifice’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• कृते: when done/committed
• कृते: Kala (Time/Condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु) + कृत (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त-रूप; सप्तमी-एकवचन (locative absolute-like: ‘when done/if committed’)

• स्तेयात्: from theft
• स्तेयात्: Apadana (Source/अपाादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative); एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• ब्रह्मगोहत्यागुरुघातात्: from brahmin-slaying, cow-slaying, and killing a guru
• ब्रह्मगोहत्यागुरुघातात्: Apadana (Source/अपाादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + गो (प्रातिपदिक) + हत्या (प्रातिपदिक) + गुरु (प्रातिपदिक) + घात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-समाहार; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन (ablative; dvandva of sins: ‘brahma-hatyā, go-hatyā, guru-ghāta’)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• पातकम्: a grave sin
• पातकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (apposition to पापम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying सर्वम्)

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (collective: ‘all of it’)

• नश्यते: perishes/is destroyed
• नश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (re-stated as subject/apposition)

• वृषोत्सर्गे: in/at the bull-release rite
• वृषोत्सर्गे: Adhikarana (Location/Occasion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्सर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• कृते: when performed
• कृते: Kala (Time/Condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु) + कृत (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त-रूप; सप्तमी-एकवचन (locative: ‘when done’)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• वै: certainly
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (to the king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Māṇḍavya-tīrtha (associated Śiva-kṣetra tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (narādhipa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A penitent devotee at the riverbank performs vṛṣotsarga; dark, smoky ‘sins’ dissolve into light around the bull and the Śiva-kṣetra; priests and sages witness the transformation.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛṣotsarga
• Brahmahatyā
• Gohatyā
• Gurughāta
• Steya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes that sincere tīrtha-based charity and prescribed rites can function as powerful prāyaścitta for even grave transgressions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Māṇḍavya-tīrtha praise within Revā-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vṛṣotsarga (release/donation of a bull) is stated as a potent expiatory act.