Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

एवं तत्र समुत्पन्नं तीर्थं तद्बालमंडनम् । स्वामिद्रोहकृतात्पापान्मुच्यंते यत्र मानवाः

Transliteration

evaṃ tatra samutpannaṃ tīrthaṃ tadbālamaṃḍanam | svāmidrohakṛtātpāpānmucyaṃte yatra mānavāḥ

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ അവിടെ ‘ബാലമണ്ഡനം’ എന്ന തീർത്ഥം ഉദ്ഭവിച്ചു; അവിടെ സ്വാമിദ്രോഹം മൂലമുണ്ടായ പാപങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് മനുഷ്യർ മോചിതരാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (manner adverb)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• samutpannam: arisen; originated
• samutpannam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ut-panna (पद्/पन् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• tīrtham: sacred ford; pilgrimage place
• tīrtham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• bāla-maṇḍanam: Bālamaṇḍana (name of the tīrtha)
• bāla-maṇḍanam: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāla (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇḍana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; तीर्थनाम (proper name)

• svāmi-droha-kṛtāt: from (sins) caused by betrayal of one's master
• svāmi-droha-kṛtāt: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svāmin (प्रातिपदिक) + droha (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृ धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• pāpāt: from sin
• pāpāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

• mucyante: are freed
• mucyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muc (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb 'where')

• mānavāḥ: people; humans
• mānavāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bālamaṇḍana

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred ford is shown as newly sanctified—clear waters, a marked bathing spot, perhaps a simple shrine or liṅga nearby—while pilgrims approach seeking release from the sin of betraying their lord.

Characters & Entities

• Bālamaṇḍana (Tīrtha)
• Svāmidroha (betrayal of one’s lord/master)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage (tīrtha-sevā) functions as prāyaścitta: even grave ethical breaches can be purified through sanctified places and sincere turning toward dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bālamaṇḍana tīrtha, a pilgrimage ford praised in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, visiting/serving the tīrtha for purification; detailed rites appear in subsequent verses.