Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

तदा प्रभृति विख्यातं तीर्थं पापप्रणाशनम् । तत्र तीर्थे नरः स्नात्वा चतुर्दश्यष्टमीषु च

Transliteration

tadā prabhṛti vikhyātaṃ tīrthaṃ pāpapraṇāśanam | tatra tīrthe naraḥ snātvā caturdaśyaṣṭamīṣu ca

Translation

അന്നുമുതൽ ആ തീർത്ഥം പാപനാശിനിയായി പ്രസിദ്ധമായി. ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ മനുഷ്യൻ സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ—പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് ചതുര്ദശിയും അഷ്ടമിയും ദിവസങ്ങളിൽ—

Word by Word

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb of time)

• प्रभृति: from (that time) onward
• प्रभृति: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रभृति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; आरम्भवाचकं (from… onwards)

• विख्यातम्: renowned
• विख्यातम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + ख्या (धातु) ; विख्यात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (past participle, क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; ‘तीर्थम्’ इति विशेषणम्

• तीर्थम्: the sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) एकवचनम्

• पापप्रणाशनम्: destroyer of sins
• पापप्रणाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रणाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पापस्य प्रणाशनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; ‘तीर्थम्’ इति विशेषणम्

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

• तीर्थे: at the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी) एकवचनम्; अधिकरणम्

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) एकवचनम्

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तः (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया (having bathed)

• चतुर्दश्यष्टमीषु: on the 14th and 8th lunar days
• चतुर्दश्यष्टमीषु: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक) + अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समासः (चतुर्दशी च अष्टमी च); स्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी) बहुवचनम्; कालाधिकरणम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (contextual deduction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tilādeśvara-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed as ‘Pārtha’ in the immediate context of the passage (royal listener)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims descend stone steps to the Revā ford at dawn; they bathe while priests recite mantras; a banner or shrine indicates Tilādeśvara; the lunar calendar marks aṣṭamī/caturdaśī.

Characters & Entities

• Tilādeśvara Tīrtha
• Revā (Narmadā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage bathing at a consecrated tīrtha, done on auspicious lunar days, is praised as a powerful means of pāpa-kṣaya (sin-removal).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Tilādeśvara tīrtha in the Revā (Narmadā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bath) at the tīrtha, particularly on caturdaśī (14th tithi) and aṣṭamī (8th tithi).