Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

स्नात्वा ब्रह्मरसोत्कृष्टे कुम्भेनैव प्रमुच्यते । वन्ध्या स्त्रीजननी या तु काकवन्ध्या मृतप्रजा

Transliteration

snātvā brahmarasotkṛṣṭe kumbhenaiva pramucyate | vandhyā strījananī yā tu kākavandhyā mṛtaprajā

Translation

ബ്രഹ്മരസത്താൽ ഉന്നതമായ ഈ സ്ഥലത്ത് ഒരു കുംഭജലത്തിൽ മാത്രം സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ പൂർണ്ണമായി മോചനം ലഭിക്കുന്നു. വന്ധ്യയായോ കാകവന്ധ്യയായോ മൃതപ്രജയായോ ആയ സ്ത്രീയും ആ ദുഃഖത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വിമുക്തയാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); 'having bathed'

• brahma-rasa-utkṛṣṭe: in (a place/water) excellent with brahma-essence
• brahma-rasa-utkṛṣṭe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + rasa (प्रातिपदिक) + utkṛṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (brahma-rasaḥ) + तत्पुरुषः (brahma-rasa-utkṛṣṭa = excellent in brahma-essence)

• kumbhena: with a pot (of water)
• kumbhena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• pramucyate: is completely freed
• pramucyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

• vandhyā: a barren woman
• vandhyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vandhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• strī-jananī: a woman (as) mother
• strī-jananī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक) + jananī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (striyāḥ jananī = a woman as mother)

• yā: who
• yā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• kāka-vandhyā: a 'crow-barren' woman (utterly barren)
• kāka-vandhyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāka (प्रातिपदिक) + vandhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (kāka-sadṛśī vandhyā = 'crow-like barren', i.e., extremely barren)

• mṛta-prajā: whose offspring are dead
• mṛta-prajā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + prajā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (mṛtā prajā yasyāḥ)

Speaker

Śiva (as narrator of tīrtha-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahma-rasa-ukṛṣṭa Revā-tīrtha (epithet-based; proper name not given)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A woman and family at a riverbank; a priest/sage indicates the proper method—one kumbha of water poured in ritual bathing; the river is depicted luminous, suggesting ‘brahma-rasa’.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Revā (Narmadā)
• Dhautapāpa Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s sanctity can remove both sin and life-afflictions when approached with simple, sincere ritual.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dhautapāpa Tīrtha associated with the Revā (Narmadā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna using a kumbha (water-pot), emphasizing simplicity rather than elaborate paraphernalia.