Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

ब्रह्महत्यादि पापानां निष्कृतिश्चापि जायते । सुग्रीवतीर्थगमनाद्गोसहस्रफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

brahmahatyādi pāpānāṃ niṣkṛtiścāpi jāyate | sugrīvatīrthagamanādgosahasraphalaṃ labhet

Translation

ബ്രഹ്മഹത്യ മുതലായ പാപങ്ങൾക്കും പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം ഉണ്ടാകുന്നു. സുഗ്രീവതീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്ക് ഗമിച്ചാൽ ആയിരം ഗോദാനത്തിന്റെ പുണ്യഫലം ലഭിക്കും.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्महत्यादि: such as brahmahatyā (etc.)
• ब्रह्महत्यादि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्महत्या + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव/तत्पुरुष-प्राय प्रयोग; अव्ययवत् विशेषण; ‘ब्रह्महत्या-आदि’ = beginning with brahmahatyā; पापानाम् इति षष्ठीबहुवचनस्य विशेषणम्

• पापानाम्: of sins
• पापानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th case), बहुवचन

• निष्कृतिः: expiation
• निष्कृतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निष्कृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st case), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थ (also/even)

• जायते: arises / occurs
• जायते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सुग्रीवतीर्थगमनात्: from going to Sugrīva-tīrtha
• सुग्रीवतीर्थगमनात्: Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुग्रीव + तीर्थ + गमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सुग्रीवस्य तीर्थस्य गमनम्)

• गो: cow
• गो: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: गो-शब्द; समासपूर्वपद (in compound); अर्थतः ‘cow’

• सहस्र: thousand
• सहस्र: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक विशेषण; समासपूर्वपद (in compound)

• फलम्: the fruit (reward) of a thousand cows
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समास: गोसहस्रफलम् = गोसहस्रस्य फलम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sugrīvatīrtha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A remorseful pilgrim arrives at Sugrīvatīrtha, guided by brāhmaṇas; symbolic dark stains (sins) dissolve in the water; a cow-gift motif appears as a celestial tally of merit.

Characters & Entities

• Sugrīvatīrtha
• Brahmahatyā
• Go-sahasra (thousand cows)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred travel undertaken in faith is taught as a powerful means of purification, even for severe moral faults, and as a substitute for costly charities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sugrīvatīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gamana (pilgrimage/visiting) to Sugrīvatīrtha is itself declared meritorious; it functions as niṣkṛti (atonement) and yields go-sahasra-phala.