Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

जितवाक्कायचित्ताश्च ध्येयध्यानरतास्तथा । कावेरीसङ्गमे तात तेऽपि मोक्षमवाप्नुयुः

Transliteration

jitavākkāyacittāśca dhyeyadhyānaratāstathā | kāverīsaṅgame tāta te'pi mokṣamavāpnuyuḥ

Translation

വാക്ക്, ശരീരം, മനസ്സ് എന്നിവ ജയിച്ച് ധ്യേയധ്യാനത്തിൽ രമിക്കുന്നവർ പോലും, പ്രിയമേ, കാവേരി സംഗമത്തിൽ മോക്ഷം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• जितवाक्कायचित्ताः: those who have conquered speech, body, and mind
• जितवाक्कायचित्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जित (कृदन्त; √जि धातोः) + वाक् (प्रातिपदिक) + काय (प्रातिपदिक) + चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; वाक्-काय-चित्त (त्रयाणां) इति द्वन्द्वः; तानि जितानि येषां ते (बहुव्रीह्यर्थे प्रयोगः)

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

• ध्येयध्यानरताः: absorbed in meditation on the contemplated (deity)
• ध्येयध्यानरताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्येय (कृदन्त; √ध्यै धातोः) + ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक) + रत (कृदन्त; √रम् धातोः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ध्येये ध्याने रताः इति सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः (engaged in meditation on the object of contemplation)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: likewise)

• कावेरीसङ्गमे: at the confluence of the Kaverī
• कावेरीसङ्गमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कावेरी (प्रातिपदिक) + सङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; कावेर्याः सङ्गमे इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• तात: O dear one/father
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• मोक्षम्: liberation
• मोक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अवाप्नुयुः: may attain
• अवाप्नुयुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sūta (deduced, Revā Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāverīsaṅgama

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed as 'tāta' and within king-directed discourse; likely the king as primary listener with affectionate vocative used in narration.

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ascetics seated at the confluence in meditation; the two rivers meet like a luminous 'yoga' of waters; subtle presence of Śiva as the dhyeya in the sky or within a liṅga shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Kāverī
• Saṅgama
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-mastery and meditation, when rooted in a powerful tīrtha, are said to culminate in mokṣa rather than merely worldly or heavenly rewards.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāverī saṅgama—understood in this adhyāya as the Kāverī–Narmadā confluence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A discipline of restraint (speech/body/mind) and meditative absorption (dhyāna) practiced at the saṅgama.