Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

पर्वाणि यानि श्रूयन्ते किंस्वित्सूर्येन्दुसम्प्लवः । अयनं किं भवेदद्य किं वाक्षयतृतीयका

Transliteration

parvāṇi yāni śrūyante kiṃsvitsūryendusamplavaḥ | ayanaṃ kiṃ bhavedadya kiṃ vākṣayatṛtīyakā

Translation

“കേൾക്കപ്പെടുന്ന പ്രസിദ്ധ പർവ്വങ്ങളിൽ ഒന്നാണോ ഇത്? സൂര്യ-ചന്ദ്ര സംയോഗമോ? ഇന്ന് അയനമാണോ, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ക്ഷയ-തൃതീയയോ?”

Word by Word

• पर्वाणि: festival days / sacred occasions
• पर्वाणि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• यानि: which
• यानि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• श्रूयन्ते: are heard/are spoken of
• श्रूयन्ते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• स्वित्: indeed?/perhaps? (interrogative)
• स्वित्: Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वित् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle)

• सूर्येन्दुसम्प्लवः: solar/lunar eclipse
• सूर्येन्दुसम्प्लवः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य + इन्दु + सम्प्लव (प्रातिपदिक); सूर्य-इन्दु-सम्प्लव
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (eclipse/obscuration of sun and moon)

• अयनम्: solstice/course (ayana)
• अयनम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• किम्: what
• किम्: Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• भवेत्: might be / would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अद्य: today
• अद्य: Kala (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (today)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle: or)

• अक्षयतृतीयका: Akshaya Tritiya
• अक्षयतृतीयका: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षय + तृतीया (प्रातिपदिक); अक्षय-तृतीया
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (the ‘Akṣayā Tṛtīyā’ day)

Speaker

Śabara (implied continuation from previous verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-taṭa parva-kāla snāna (general)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A questioning figure imagines celestial signs: sun and moon nearing conjunction, a dimmed sky hinting at eclipse; pilgrims at the river prepare for a special bath; a priest holds a pañcāṅga palm-leaf almanac.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Indu (Candra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is practiced with awareness of sacred time (kāla); knowing tithi and parva guides proper vrata and snāna.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) milieu is the implied tīrtha-field where bathing gains meaning through sacred time.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references determining the auspicious calendrical cause behind communal snāna—parva, ayana, or special tithi.