Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

यया संचीर्णया राज न्कायस्थो यमसंभवः । विचित्रो मार्जयेत्पापं कृतं जन्मनि संचितम्

Transliteration

yayā saṃcīrṇayā rāja nkāyastho yamasaṃbhavaḥ | vicitro mārjayetpāpaṃ kṛtaṃ janmani saṃcitam

Translation

ഹേ രാജാവേ! അത് വിധിപൂർവ്വം ആചരിച്ചതിനാൽ, യമജന്യനായ കായസ്ഥൻ വിചിത്രൻ ജന്മകാലം മുഴുവൻ ചെയ്തും സഞ്ചിതവുമായ പാപം കഴുകിമാറ്റി.

Word by Word

• यया: by which
• यया: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; ‘by which (f.)’

• संचीर्णया: having been observed
• संचीर्णया: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + चर् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘performed/observed’ (व्रत-विशेषण)

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन, पुंलिङ्ग, एकवचन

• कायस्थः: a Kāyastha
• कायस्थः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कायस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यमसंभवः: born of Yama
• यमसंभवः: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक) + संभव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (यमात् संभवः/यमस्य संभवः)

• विचित्रः: Vicittra (name)
• विचित्रः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विचित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेष-नामरूपेण (proper name)

• मार्जयेत्: would cleanse/remove
• मार्जयेत्: Kriya (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• कृतम्: committed
• कृतम्: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; पापम् इति विशेषणम्—‘done/committed’

• जन्मनि: in (a) birth/life
• जन्मनि: Adhikarana (Locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• संचितम्: accumulated
• संचितम्: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + चि (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; पापम् इति विशेषणम्—‘accumulated’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puraścaraṇa (Saptamī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rohitāśva

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrative flash: Vicitra, a kāyastha linked to Yama, performs the Saptamī Puraścaraṇa with devotion; dark karmic stains dissolve into light as the Sun’s radiance falls upon him.

Characters & Entities

• Vicitra
• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even deeply accumulated wrongdoing can be cleansed through sincere observance of an authorized vrata.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named here; the emphasis is on the vrata’s purificatory power, illustrated by an exemplar.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Properly performing the Puraścaraṇa-related Saptamī observance, presented as potent enough to erase lifetime-accumulated sin.