Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्ता नोपसर्पंति वै यमम् । तत्राद्भुतं हि दृष्टं मे पुरा स्नातुं गतेन वै

Transliteration

sarvapāpavinirmuktā nopasarpaṃti vai yamam | tatrādbhutaṃ hi dṛṣṭaṃ me purā snātuṃ gatena vai

Translation

അവർ എല്ലാ പാപങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നുമുക്തരായി യമനെ സമീപിക്കുകയില്ല. ഞാൻ ഒരിക്കൽ അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യാൻ പോയപ്പോൾ ഒരു അത്ഭുതം കണ്ടിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्ताः: freed from all sins
• सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पाप + वि + निर् + मुच् (धातु) → विनिर्मुक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; सर्वपापात् विनिर्मुक्ताः (ablative sense in compound)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• उपसर्पन्ति: approach
• उपसर्पन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + सृप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• यमम्: Yama (lord of death)
• यमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय

• अद्भुतम्: a wonder
• अद्भुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; 'a marvel'

• हि: for/indeed
• हि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (causal/emphatic)

• दृष्टम्: was seen
• दृष्टम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थ 'seen' (with मे)

• मे: by me/to me
• मे: Karta (Experiencer/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; 'of me' = by me/for me (genitive used for agent/experiencer)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• स्नातुम्: to bathe
• स्नातुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), 'to bathe'

• गतेन: by (me) having gone
• गतेन: Karta (Agent-in-instrumental/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; मया (understood) गतेन = 'by me having gone'

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

Speaker

Bhṛgu (contextual, first-person narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Staṃbha-tīrtha

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a muni

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims emerge from sacred waters with a subtle aura of release; in the unseen realm, Yama’s messengers withdraw, while the narrator recalls a wondrous event witnessed during his own bath-journey.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Staṃbha-tīrtha (implied)
• Snāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-sevā is presented as transformative: purification is so complete that the fear of Yama (punitive consequence) is symbolically removed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The context continues the praise of Staṃbha-tīrtha at the Mahī–Sāgara confluence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) is explicitly referenced, with the stated fruit of sarva-pāpa-kṣaya (removal of all sins).