Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 102

Devanagari script

त्रिभिः प्रसृतिमात्राभिः पापं याति सहस्रधा । विशेषेण चतुर्दश्यामुभौ पक्षौ तु चाष्टमी

Transliteration

tribhiḥ prasṛtimātrābhiḥ pāpaṃ yāti sahasradhā | viśeṣeṇa caturdaśyāmubhau pakṣau tu cāṣṭamī

Translation

മാത്രം മൂന്ന് അഞ്ജലി-പ്രമാണം കൊണ്ടു പാപം സഹസ്രധാ ചിതറുന്നു—വിശേഷിച്ച് ചതുര്ദശിയിൽ (ഇരു പക്ഷങ്ങളിലും) കൂടാതെ അഷ്ടമിയിലും.

Word by Word

• त्रिभिः: by three
• त्रिभिः: Karana (Instrument-qualifier/करण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; ‘प्रसृतिमात्राभिः’ विशेषणम्

• प्रसृतिमात्राभिः: by measures of a prasṛti (handful)
• प्रसृतिमात्राभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसृति-मात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (प्रसृतेः मात्रा)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• याति: goes (becomes)
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सहस्रधा: a thousandfold
• सहस्रधा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रधा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/परिमाण-अव्यय (in a thousandfold manner)

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (especially)

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• उभौ: both
• उभौ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; ‘पक्षौ’ विशेषणम्

• पक्षौ: fortnights (waxing and waning halves)
• पक्षौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अवधारण-अव्यय (but/indeed)

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

• अष्टमी: the eighth lunar day
• अष्टमी: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (अत्र ‘विशेषेण’ इत्यन्वयेन कालवाचकः)

Speaker

Śiva (as narrator of the māhātmya) to the king (listener)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Luṅkeśvara (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee measures sacred water in cupped hands three times; a lunar calendar motif shows caturdaśī moon and aṣṭamī phase; sin depicted as brittle shards breaking apart.

Characters & Entities

• Luṅkeśvara (implied continuation)
• Caturdaśī
• Aṣṭamī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred acts gain intensified fruit when performed with proper measure and auspicious timing (tithi) in a tīrtha setting.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ongoing Luṅkeśvara/Liṅgeśvara tīrtha praise within Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Taking holy water in a specified measure (three prasṛtis), with special emphasis on Caturdaśī and Aṣṭamī.