Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं नाशमायाति तत्क्षणात् । यान्यान्प्रार्थयते कामांस्तांस्ताना प्नोति मानवः

Transliteration

saptajanmakṛtaṃ pāpaṃ nāśamāyāti tatkṣaṇāt | yānyānprārthayate kāmāṃstāṃstānā pnoti mānavaḥ

Translation

ഏഴ് ജന്മങ്ങളിൽ ചെയ്ത പാപം ആ നിമിഷം തന്നേ നശിക്കുന്നു. മനുഷ്യൻ ഏത് ഏത് ആഗ്രഹങ്ങൾ പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കുകയോ, അവ അവൻ പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सप्त-जन्म-कृतम्: done over seven births
• सप्त-जन्म-कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृ-धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Past passive participle used adjectivally

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• नाशम्: destruction
• नाशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular (goal/state)

• आयाति: comes/attains
• आयाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु) + आ (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• तत्क्षणात्: immediately; from that very moment
• तत्क्षणात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Ablative singular

• यान्: which (ones)
• यान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Relative pronoun, Accusative plural

• यान्: whatever
• यान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; repetition for distributive sense

• प्रार्थयते: requests/prays for
• प्रार्थयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्थ् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• कामान्: desires/boons
• कामान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative plural

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Demonstrative pronoun, Accusative plural

• तान्: those very
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; repetition for distributive sense

• आप्नोति: obtains
• आप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• मानवः: a human
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devī-kuṇḍa (contextual)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant Devī presence above the pond as the devotee prays; dark smoke-like ‘sins’ dissolve, while symbolic boons (lotus, child, prosperity) appear as light forms.

Characters & Entities

• Dvāravāsinī Devī (contextual)
• Kuṇḍa-snāna (contextual)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere ritual at a powerful kṣetra brings rapid purification and aligns human longing with divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The kuṇḍa and Devī-sthāna described in the immediately preceding verses of this chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied continuation of the prior prescription: snāna and Devī-pūjā, whose फल (fruit) is described here.