Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

स्नात्वा तीर्थाभिगमनं हविष्यैकान्नभोजनम् । वर्जयेत्पतितालापं बहुभाषणमेव च

Transliteration

snātvā tīrthābhigamanaṃ haviṣyaikānnabhojanam | varjayetpatitālāpaṃ bahubhāṣaṇameva ca

Translation

സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് തീർത്ഥസ്ഥാനത്തേക്ക് ചെന്നു ഹവിഷ്യപ്രകാരമുള്ള ലളിതമായ പവിത്ര അന്നമേ ഭുജിക്കണം. പതിതരോടുള്ള സംഭാഷണവും അത്യധികം സംസാരവും—ഇരണ്ടും ഒഴിവാക്കണം.

Word by Word

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund)

• तीर्थाभिगमनम्: going to a pilgrimage place
• तीर्थाभिगमनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ-अभिगमन (प्रातिपदिक; तीर्थ + अभिगमन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (द्वितीया-तत्पुरुषः: तीर्थम् अभिगमनम् = going to a tīrtha)

• हविष्यैकान्नभोजनम्: eating one meal of havis (simple oblation-food)
• हविष्यैकान्नभोजनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हविष्य-एक-अन्न-भोजन (प्रातिपदिक; हविष्य + एक + अन्न + भोजन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (हविष्यं एव एकान्नं तस्य भोजनम् = eating a single meal of havis-food)

• वर्जयेत्: should avoid
• वर्जयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वर्ज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पतितालापम्: conversation with the fallen/impure
• पतितालापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पतित-आलाप (प्रातिपदिक; पतित + आलाप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: पतितस्य आलापः = talk with a fallen person)

• बहुभाषणम्: much talking
• बहुभाषणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु-भाषण (प्रातिपदिक; बहु + भाषण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (बहु भाषणम् = much talking)

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

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

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: General tīrtha-ācāra after snāna

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna) implied from preceding verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim emerges from river snāna, wet cloth wrung out, then walks silently toward a shrine; a small havis meal (plain rice/ghee) is offered; the pilgrim turns away from a noisy group, choosing quiet companionship of sādhus.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity is guarded by disciplined diet, sacred bathing, and restraint in speech and company.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction applies broadly to tīrtha-visits, framed in the Revā/Narmadā pilgrimage setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna before tīrtha-approach, eating simple havis-like food, and avoiding impure association and excessive talking.