Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

कर्तुं स्त्रीहत्ययायुक्तस्तस्माच्छृणु वचो मम । शर्मिष्ठातीर्थमित्येव ख्यातं पातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

kartuṃ strīhatyayāyuktastasmācchṛṇu vaco mama | śarmiṣṭhātīrthamityeva khyātaṃ pātakanāśanam

Translation

"എന്തെന്നാൽ നീ സ്ത്രീഹത്യാ പാപത്താൽ യുക്തനാണ്, അതിനാൽ എന്റെ വാക്കുകൾ കേൾക്കൂ. പാപങ്ങളെ നശിപ്പിക്കുന്ന 'ശർമ്മിഷ്ഠാ തീർത്ഥം' എന്ന് പ്രസിദ്ധമായ ഒരു തീർത്ഥമുണ്ട്."

Word by Word

• kartum: to do, to perform
• kartum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), अव्यय; धातु: कृ (to do)

• strī-hatyayā: by/with the sin of woman-killing
• strī-hatyayā: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक) + hatyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (striyāḥ hatyā = killing of a woman)

• ayuktaḥ: tainted/associated (with)
• ayuktaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-yukta (प्रातिपदिक; √yuj)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नञ्-समास/उपसर्ग a- (negation): 'not joined/tainted'

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात् (therefore)

• śṛṇu: hear
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; धातु: श्रु (to hear)

• vacaḥ: words, speech
• vacaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd) एकवचन (वचः); कर्मरूपेण

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• śarmiṣṭhā-tīrtham: the Śarmiṣṭhā sacred ford
• śarmiṣṭhā-tīrtham: Karma/Pratipādya (Topic/कर्म-प्रस्ताव्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarmiṣṭhā (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (śarmiṣṭhāyāḥ tīrtha = Śarmiṣṭhā-tīrtha)

• iti: thus, called
• iti: Quotation marker (इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-निपात (quotative marker)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis/only)

• khyātam: is known
• khyātam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: khyā (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; धातु: ख्या (to be known)

• pātaka-nāśanam: destroyer of sins
• pātaka-nāśanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying śarmiṣṭhā-tīrtham); समासः—तत्पुरुष (pātakānāṃ nāśanam = destroyer of sins)

Speaker

Nabhovāṇī (a celestial voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śarmiṣṭhā-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celestial voice instructs Bhīṣma: due to the taint of strī-hatyā, he must not perform śrāddha yet; instead, he is directed toward Śarmiṣṭhā-tīrtha, portrayed as a luminous ford with purifying waters and a small shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Śarmiṣṭhā-tīrtha
• strīhatyā
• pātaka-nāśana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When burdened by grave sin, one should first seek purification through appropriate prāyaścitta before undertaking other rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śarmiṣṭhā-tīrtha is explicitly praised as pātaka-nāśanam, a sin-destroying pilgrimage ford.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An instruction to turn toward purification at Śarmiṣṭhā-tīrtha as a prerequisite to other rituals like śrāddha.