Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

गंडूषमपि तोयस्य यस्तस्य निवसन्पिबेत् । सोऽपि संमुच्यते पापादाजन्ममरणांतिकात्

Transliteration

gaṃḍūṣamapi toyasya yastasya nivasanpibet | so'pi saṃmucyate pāpādājanmamaraṇāṃtikāt

Translation

അവിടെ വസിച്ച് ആ ജലത്തിന്റെ ഒരു ഗണ്ഡൂഷമാത്രം പോലും പാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ, ജനനം മുതൽ മരണം വരെ ചേർന്നു നിൽക്കുന്ന പാപഭാരത്തിൽ നിന്നുപോലും വിമുക്തനാകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• गण्डूषम्: a mouthful (gargle)
• गण्डूषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण्डूष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; accusative singular neuter

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थे ‘even/also’

• तोयस्य: of water
• तोयस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular neuter

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; relative pronoun nominative singular masculine

• तस्य: of that (place)
• तस्य: Adhikaraṇa (Locative-sense via genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; genitive singular (of that [place/thing])

• निवसन्: dwelling (there)
• निवसन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√वस् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक-कर्तरि शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; present active participle ‘dwelling’

• पिबेत्: should drink
• पिबेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; parasmaipada

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; nominative singular masculine

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) ‘also/even’

• संमुच्यते: is freed
• संमुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+√मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः ‘is released’

• पापात्: from sin
• पापात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; ablative singular neuter

• आ-जन्य-मरण-अन्तिकात्: from (the cycle) up to birth and death
• आ-जन्य-मरण-अन्तिकात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + मरण (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः; आ-उपसर्गपूर्वकः), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ablative singular (from [the state] up to birth and death / from the proximity of birth-and-death)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Māhātmya narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā–Yamunā-prabhāva-tīrtha (name not specified in excerpt)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ (brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim residing near a luminous confluence-tīrtha cups a small mouthful of sacred water; subtle dark vapors (sins) dissolve as the river-goddesses’ presence is felt.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha-jala (sacred water)
• Pāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha’s sanctity is such that even minimal contact—drinking a mouthful—symbolizes deep purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The water of the tīrtha connected with the Gaṅgā–Yamunā setting and Śūdrakeśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Drinking a gaṇḍūṣa (mouthful) of the tīrtha-water while residing/observing the sanctity of the place.