Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

देवतीर्थस्य निखिला यथा वै शङ्कराच्छ्रुता । पठन्ति ये पापहरं सर्वदुःखविमोचनम्

Transliteration

devatīrthasya nikhilā yathā vai śaṅkarācchrutā | paṭhanti ye pāpaharaṃ sarvaduḥkhavimocanam

Translation

ശങ്കരനിൽ നിന്നു ശ്രുതമായ ദേവതീർത്ഥത്തിന്റെ സമ്പൂർണ്ണ ചരിതം പാരായണം ചെയ്യുന്നവർക്ക് ആ പാരായണം പാപഹരവും സർവ്വദുഃഖവിമോചനവും ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• देवतीर्थस्य: of the Deva-tīrtha
• देवतीर्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; देवस्य तीर्थम् इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• निखिलाः: all, entire
• निखिलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निखिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (अध्यायाः/कथाः इत्यादि अव्यक्त-शब्दस्य)

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/उपमान/अनुरूपार्थक (‘as/just as’)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/अनुनासिक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• शङ्करात्: from Śaṅkara
• शङ्करात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन

• श्रुताः: heard
• श्रुताः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √श्रु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘निखिलाः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• पठन्ति: recite/read
• पठन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• पापहरम्: sin-destroying
• पापहरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप-हर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; पापं हरति इति उपपद-तत्पुरुषः; ‘(चरितम्/स्तोत्रम्)’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• सर्वदुःखविमोचनम्: liberating from all sorrow
• सर्वदुःखविमोचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-दुःख-विमोचन (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वेषां दुःखानां विमोचनम् इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; ‘(चरितम्/स्तोत्रम्)’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Mārkaṇḍeya continuing the tīrtha-māhātmya narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devatīrtha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of pilgrims seated on a riverbank listens to a reciter chanting Devatīrtha’s narrative; above them, a subtle form of Śaṅkara/Śiva as the ultimate source blesses the assembly; dark clouds of sorrow dissolve into light.

Characters & Entities

• Devatīrtha
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faithful recitation of a tīrtha’s sacred account, received through Śiva’s authority, purifies sin and alleviates suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Devatīrtha, praised within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pāṭha—recitation/reading of the Devatīrtha-māhātmya in full.