Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

वाचिकं मानसं पापं कर्मजं यत्पुरा कृतम् । पिङ्गलेश्वरमासाद्य तत्सर्वं विलयं व्रजेत्

Transliteration

vācikaṃ mānasaṃ pāpaṃ karmajaṃ yatpurā kṛtam | piṅgaleśvaramāsādya tatsarvaṃ vilayaṃ vrajet

Translation

വാക്ക്, മനസ്, കർമ്മം എന്നിവയാൽ മുമ്പ് ചെയ്ത ഏതു പാപവും—പിംഗലേശ്വരനെ പ്രാപിച്ചാൽ അതെല്ലാം ലയിച്ചു നശിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• वाचिकम्: verbal
• वाचिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाचिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — neuter, accusative singular; विशेषण of ‘पापम्’

• मानसम्: mental
• मानसम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — neuter, accusative singular; विशेषण of ‘पापम्’

• पापम्: sin/evil
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — neuter, accusative singular

• कर्मजम्: born of actions/deeds
• कर्मजम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्म-ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — neuter, accusative singular; विशेषण of ‘पापम्’; समास: कर्मणः जातम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object reference/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन — neuter singular relative pronoun; here correlating with ‘तत्’ and referring to the sin

• पुरा: formerly/before
• पुरा: Kala-adhikarana (Time setting/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — indeclinable adverb of time

• कृतम्: done/committed
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √कृ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन — neuter singular; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) agreeing with ‘यत्/पापम्’

• पिङ्गलेश्वरम्: Piṅgaleśvara (Lord Piṅgala)
• पिङ्गलेश्वरम्: Karma (Object of gerund/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिङ्गल-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — masculine, accusative singular; समास: पिङ्गलस्य ईश्वरः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• आसाद्य: having approached/reached
• आसाद्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-√सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive) — indeclinable verbal form meaning ‘having reached/approached’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — neuter, accusative singular; correlating to ‘यत्’

• सर्वम्: all/entire
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — neuter, accusative singular; विशेषण of ‘तत्’

• विलयम्: dissolution/destruction
• विलयम्: Karma (Goal/result/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — masculine, accusative singular

• व्रजेत्: would go/attain
• व्रजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — optative, parasmaipada, 3rd sg

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Piṅgaleśvara (at Piṅgalāvarta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (mahīpāla/rājendra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims arrive at Piṅgaleśvara; as they bow, a symbolic dark mist of sins dissolves into light around the liṅga, emphasizing purification.

Characters & Entities

• Piṅgaleśvara
• Śiva (implied by -īśvara in tīrtha context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Approaching a Śaiva tīrtha with faith is depicted as a potent means of purification from sins of thought, word, and deed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Piṅgaleśvara at/near Piṅgalāvarta.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Āsādana/darśana—going to and reaching Piṅgaleśvara as a purificatory act.