Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

कोटिजन्मकृतं पापं तत्क्षणेनैव नश्यति । अश्वमेधसहस्रस्य फलमाप्नोत्य नुत्तमम्

Transliteration

koṭijanmakṛtaṃ pāpaṃ tatkṣaṇenaiva naśyati | aśvamedhasahasrasya phalamāpnotya nuttamam

Translation

കോടി ജന്മങ്ങളിൽ സമ്പാദിച്ച പാപം ആ ക്ഷണത്തിൽ തന്നെ നശിക്കുന്നു; സഹസ്ര അശ്വമേധയാഗങ്ങളുടെ തുല്യമായ അനുത്തമ ഫലം ലഭിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• कोटि-जन्म-कृतम्: done over crores of births
• कोटि-जन्म-कृतम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृ धातु, क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP) ‘कृत’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कोटि-जन्मसु कृतम्)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• तत्-क्षणेन: in that very moment
• तत्-क्षणेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (तत् क्षणः = तत्क्षणः)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha/Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• नश्यति: perishes/is destroyed
• नश्यति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• अश्वमेध-सहस्रस्य: of a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices
• अश्वमेध-सहस्रस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अश्वमेधानां सहस्रम्)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• आप्नोति: attains
• आप्नोति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed, supreme
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘फलम्’ इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Setukhaṇḍa māhātmya discourse style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee emerging from Setu waters as if shedding dark karmic stains; in the sky, symbolic thousand Aśvamedha horses rendered as luminous motifs; priests hold kalasha and chant.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvamedha
• Setu (implied context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-sevā and sacred presence can dissolve deep karmic burdens, surpassing even grand Vedic sacrifices in fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu tīrtha (Setubandha/Dhanuṣkoṭi region) in the Setukhaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse emphasizes immediate pāpa-kṣaya through Setu-related tīrtha practice (implied: snāna/darśana in the ongoing passage).