Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

दौर्भाग्यं नाशमायाति स्नानमात्रेण पाण्डव । तत्र तीर्थे तु यो भक्त्या कन्यादानं प्रयच्छति

Transliteration

daurbhāgyaṃ nāśamāyāti snānamātreṇa pāṇḍava | tatra tīrthe tu yo bhaktyā kanyādānaṃ prayacchati

Translation

ഹേ പാണ്ഡവാ, സ്നാനം മാത്രത്താൽ തന്നെ ദൗർഭാഗ്യം നശിക്കുന്നു. ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ ഭക്തിയോടെ കന്യാദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ—

Word by Word

• दौर्भाग्यम्: misfortune
• दौर्भाग्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दौर्भाग्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• नाशम्: to destruction
• नाशम्: Gati/Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• आयाति: goes/comes (reaches)
• आयाति: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present Indicative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• स्नानमात्रेण: by mere bathing
• स्नानमात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान-मात्र (प्रातिपदिक); घटकाः: स्नान + मात्र
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (मात्र-समासार्थः: “केवलं स्नानम्”)

• पाण्डव: O Pāṇḍava
• पाण्डव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative); एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: “there”)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोध/अन्वय (particle: “but/indeed”)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन

• कन्यादानम्: gift of a maiden (kanyādāna)
• कन्यादानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या-दान (प्रातिपदिक); घटकाः: कन्या + दान
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः: “कन्यायाः दानम्”)

• प्रयच्छति: gives/bestows
• प्रयच्छति: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-यम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present Indicative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; addressing a Pāṇḍava listener within the dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnamed Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a river ford, pilgrims bathe; a royal listener (Pāṇḍava) is addressed by a sage; nearby, a ceremonial marriage-gift scene is suggested—parents offering their daughter with ritual vessels, garlands, and sacred fire implied.

Characters & Entities

• Pāṇḍava
• Tīrtha
• Kanyā-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage-bathing purifies adversity, and dharmic gifts performed at a tīrtha multiply spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha referenced as “tatra tīrthe” within Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform tīrtha-snān and, with devotion, conduct kanyā-dāna (marriage-gift) at the sacred place.