Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तस्मिंस्तीर्थे तु यः पार्थ सर्पदष्टं प्रतर्पयेत् । स याति परमं लोकं शङ्करस्य वचो यथा

Transliteration

tasmiṃstīrthe tu yaḥ pārtha sarpadaṣṭaṃ pratarpayet | sa yāti paramaṃ lokaṃ śaṅkarasya vaco yathā

Translation

ഹേ പാർഥാ! ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ സർപ്പദഷ്ടനായവനെ തൃപ്തിപ്പെടുത്തി ശുശ്രൂഷ ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ, ശങ്കരന്റെ വചനപ്രകാരം പരമലോകം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — locative singular (demonstrative)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — neuter locative singular

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — masculine nominative singular (relative pronoun)

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन — vocative singular

• सर्पदष्टम्: one bitten by a snake
• सर्पदष्टम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प + दष्ट (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (सर्पेण दष्टः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — masculine accusative singular; object

• प्रतर्पयेत्: should propitiate/satisfy
• प्रतर्पयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-तृप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — optative 3rd person singular; causative/denominative sense ‘should satisfy/propitiate’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — masculine nominative singular

• याति: goes/attains
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — present indicative 3rd person singular

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — masculine accusative singular; qualifies लोकम्

• लोकम्: world/realm
• लोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — masculine accusative singular

• शङ्करस्य: of Śaṅkara
• शङ्करस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/authority/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — masculine genitive singular

• वचः: word/statement
• वचः: Pramana (Authority/quotation basis)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — neuter nominative/accusative singular

• यथा: as/according to
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative/quotative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान/प्रकारवाचक) — indeclinable ‘as/according to’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṅkhacūḍa-tīrtha (continuation)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the ghāṭa, a pilgrim tends a serpent-bitten traveler—supporting him, offering water and herbs—while the shrine and river remain in view; a subtle presence of Śiva as witness is suggested by a faint aura or trident motif.

Characters & Entities

• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Śaṅkhacūḍa Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-merit is not only ritual; compassionate service to the afflicted becomes a direct cause of supreme spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same Śaṅkhacūḍa-associated tīrtha on the Narmadā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Practical dharma: aiding and sustaining a person bitten by a snake while at the tīrtha.