Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

इयं ब्रह्मांडपिण्डस्य स्थाने तस्मिन्प्रकीर्तिता । तत्रास्ते शुक्लतीर्थाख्यं रेवायां पापनाशनम्

Transliteration

iyaṃ brahmāṃḍapiṇḍasya sthāne tasminprakīrtitā | tatrāste śuklatīrthākhyaṃ revāyāṃ pāpanāśanam

Translation

ആ സ്ഥലം അവിടെ ‘ബ്രഹ്മാണ്ഡ-പിണ്ഡ’ത്തിന്റെ സ്ഥാനമായി പ്രസിദ്ധമാണ്; അവിടെയേ റേവയിൽ ‘ശുക്ലതീർത്ഥം’ എന്ന പാപനാശക തീർത്ഥം നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു.

Word by Word

• इयम्: this (she/this)
• इयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; Pronoun, Nominative singular

• ब्रह्माण्डपिण्डस्य: of the cosmic egg’s mass (microcosm)
• ब्रह्माण्डपिण्डस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्माण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचनम्; Masculine, Genitive singular; तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्माण्डस्य पिण्डः)

• स्थाने: in the place
• स्थाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचनम्; Neuter, Locative singular

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचनम्; Pronoun, Locative singular (referring to स्थान)

• प्रकीर्तिता: is proclaimed
• प्रकीर्तिता: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकाले कृदन्तः (क्त-प्रत्ययः), प्रथमा-एकवचनम्, स्त्रीलिङ्गः; Past passive participle, Nominative singular, Feminine

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

• आस्ते: exists/is situated
• आस्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम्; Present, 3rd person singular, middle

• शुक्लतीर्थाख्यम्: named ‘Śukla-tīrtha’
• शुक्लतीर्थाख्यम्: Karma/Predicate nominal (कर्म/विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुक्ल (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचनम्; Neuter, Nom./Acc. singular; तत्पुरुषः (शुक्लतीर्थ इति आख्यं यस्य)

• रेवायाम्: in/on the Revā
• रेवायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचनम्; Feminine, Locative singular

• पापनाशनम्: destroyer of sins
• पापनाशनम्: Predicate nominal (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचनम्; Neuter, Nom./Acc. singular; तत्पुरुषः (पापस्य नाशनम्)

Speaker

Sūta (continuing the māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śukla-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Arjuna (Pārtha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred river-spot is revealed as a cosmic axis: above, an egg-shaped brahmāṇḍa radiance; below, a human figure (piṇḍa) mirrored; the riverbank bears a marker naming ‘Śukla-tīrtha’.

Characters & Entities

• Revā (Narmadā)
• Śukla-tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha is not merely geographic: it is a cosmic ‘seat’ where macrocosm and microcosm correspond, making purification (pāpa-nāśa) especially potent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śukla-tīrtha on the Revā (Narmadā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied tīrtha-sevā and snāna at Śukla-tīrtha for pāpa-nāśa (sin-destruction).