Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

अस्ति तीर्थं महापुण्यं नाम्ना तु ऋणमोचनम् । ऋणानि त्रीणि नश्यंति नराणामत्र मज्जनात्

Transliteration

asti tīrthaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ nāmnā tu ṛṇamocanam | ṛṇāni trīṇi naśyaṃti narāṇāmatra majjanāt

Translation

‘ഋണമോചന’ എന്ന പേരുള്ള മഹാപുണ്യ തീർത്ഥം ഉണ്ട്. ഇവിടെ മുങ്ങി സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ മനുഷ്യരുടെ മൂന്നു ഋണങ്ങളും നശിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अस्ति: there is
• अस्ति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject of अस्ति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महापुण्यम्: highly meritorious
• महापुण्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of तीर्थम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय ‘greatly meritorious’

• नाम्ना: by name
• नाम्ना: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument; naming)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; ‘by name’

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण/विरोधार्थक (but/indeed)

• ऋणमोचनम्: (called) ‘Debt-Release’
• ऋणमोचनम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण; apposition to तीर्थम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + mocana (मुच् धातु-न्यन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ‘release from debt’ (name of tīrtha)

• ऋणानि: debts
• ऋणानि: Karta (कर्ता/Subject of नश्यन्ति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• त्रीणि: three
• त्रीणि: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of ऋणानि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक विशेषण

• नश्यन्ति: perish, are destroyed
• नश्यन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: naś (नश् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• नराणाम्: of men
• नराणाम्: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• मज्जनात्: from bathing (here)
• मज्जनात्: Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: majjana (मज्ज् धातु + युच्/अन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे ‘from/through bathing’

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuity from 42.1)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ṛṇamocana

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: munīśvaras

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim immerses at Ṛṇamocana-tīrtha while three symbolic burdens dissolve: a scroll (ṛṣi-ṛṇa), a lamp/altar (deva-ṛṇa), and a piṇḍa/ancestor emblem (pitṛ-ṛṇa) fading into light above the water.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṇamocana Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is portrayed as dharma-supporting: bathing at a consecrated tīrtha helps one become free from binding obligations (ṛṇas).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ṛṇamocana Tīrtha, a sacred bathing place within the Setu region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Majjana/snāna—immersive bathing in the waters of Ṛṇamocana Tīrtha.