Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

यस्याः स्मरणमात्रेण नश्यते पापसञ्चयः । स्नानेन किं पुनः स्कन्द ब्रह्महत्यां व्यपोहति

Transliteration

yasyāḥ smaraṇamātreṇa naśyate pāpasañcayaḥ | snānena kiṃ punaḥ skanda brahmahatyāṃ vyapohati

Translation

യാരുടെ (പവിത്ര റേവാദേവിയുടെ) സ്മരണ മാത്രം കൊണ്ടു പാപസഞ്ചയം നശിക്കുന്നുവോ, ഹേ സ്കന്ദാ, അവളുടെ ജലത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ ബ്രഹ്മഹത്യാപാപവും നിശ്ചയമായി അകറ്റപ്പെടും.

Word by Word

• यस्याः: of whom/whose (of her)
• यस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूपम् (relative pronoun)

• स्मरणमात्रेण: by mere remembrance
• स्मरणमात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मरण (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्मरणस्य मात्रम्)

• नश्यते: perishes/is destroyed
• नश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• पापसञ्चयः: accumulation of sins
• पापसञ्चयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + सञ्चय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पापानां सञ्चयः)

• स्नानेन: by bathing
• स्नानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• किम्: what? (how much more)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक-सर्वनाम

• पुनः: again; moreover
• पुनः: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः: अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• स्कन्द: O Skanda
• स्कन्द: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• ब्रह्महत्याम्: Brahmin-slaying (sin)
• ब्रह्महत्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महत्यā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• व्यपोहति: removes/drives away
• व्यपोहति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अप-ऊह्/ऊह् (धातु) उपसर्गः: वि + अप (व्यपोहति)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; उपसर्गयुक्त-धातु

Speaker

A narrator addressing Skanda (deduced interlocution within Revā Khaṇḍa dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Skanda (addressed: 'O Skanda')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous river-goddess Revā/Narmadā rises from flowing waters; a pilgrim remembers her name and then bathes, while dark sin-symbols dissolve; Skanda is invoked as witness to the river’s power.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Revā (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rivers and tīrthas purify: even remembrance is transformative, while direct ritual contact (snāna) is said to be stronger.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha context of this chapter, associated with Revā–Kumbheśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Smaraṇa (remembering the sacred river/tīrtha) and especially snāna (ritual bathing) for pāpa-kṣaya, framed as a powerful prāyaścitta.