Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

आपोहिष्ठेति तिसृभिर्मार्जनं तु ततश्चरेत् । भूमौ शिरसि चाकाश आकाशे भुवि मस्तके

Transliteration

āpohiṣṭheti tisṛbhirmārjanaṃ tu tataścaret | bhūmau śirasi cākāśa ākāśe bhuvi mastake

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം ‘ആപോ ഹി ഷ്ഠാ…’ എന്നാരംഭിക്കുന്ന മൂന്ന് മന്ത്രങ്ങളാൽ മാർജനം ചെയ്യണം. പരമ്പരപ്രകാരം ‘ഭൂമി’യും ‘ആകാശ’വും വിന്യസിക്കൽ—ഭൂമിയിൽ, ശിരസ്സിൽ, ആകാശത്തിൽ, മസ്തകത്തിൽ—ഇങ്ങനെ നടത്തപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• āpohiṣṭha: “āpohiṣṭha” (mantra)
• āpohiṣṭha: Sambandha (Quotation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āpohiṣṭha (मन्त्रपद/प्रातिपदिक-रूप)
• Form: मन्त्र-उद्धरण; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (quoted mantra word)

• iti: thus/‘iti’
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यादि-उद्धरणसूचक

• tisṛbhiḥ: with three (verses/recitations)
• tisṛbhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tisṛ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण (by three)

• mārjanam: sprinkling/cleansing (mārjana)
• mārjanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• tu: then/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधानार्थक

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (thereafter)

• caret: should do/practice
• caret: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (चर् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• bhūmau: on the ground
• bhūmau: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अधिकरण (on the ground)

• śirasi: on the head
• śirasi: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अधिकरण (on the head)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• ākāśam: (touch/gesture to) the sky
• ākāśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; (क्षिपेत् इत्यर्थे) कर्म

• ākāśe: in the sky
• ākāśe: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अधिकरण (in the sky)

• bhuvi: on earth
• bhuvi: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अधिकरण (on earth)

• mastake: on the crown of the head
• mastake: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mastaka (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अधिकरण (on the crown/head)

Speaker

Unspecified (Dharmāraṇyakhaṇḍa ritual instruction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mārjana with ‘Āpo hi ṣṭhā’

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up ritual moment: hands sprinkling water while lips recite ‘Āpo hi ṣṭhā’; subtle iconography of bhū and ākāśa as bands of earth-tone and sky-tone around the figure.

Characters & Entities

• Āpo hi ṣṭhā (Ṛgvedic mantra)
• Mārjana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is reinforced through Vedic mantra and embodied ritual gestures within sandhyā practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse teaches a standard purification rite using water-mantras.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform mārjana using the three ‘Āpo hi ṣṭhā…’ verses, following the prescribed placements/gestures.