Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

ऋषितीर्थे च पापघ्ने सिद्धेश्वरसमन्विते । दत्त्वार्घ्यं मृदमालभ्य स्नानं कुर्यात्समाहितः

Transliteration

ṛṣitīrthe ca pāpaghne siddheśvarasamanvite | dattvārghyaṃ mṛdamālabhya snānaṃ kuryātsamāhitaḥ

Translation

പാപനാശിനിയായ, സിദ്ധേശ്വരസംബന്ധമുള്ള ഋഷിതീർത്ഥത്തിൽ ആദ്യം അർഘ്യം അർപ്പിച്ച്, പിന്നെ പവിത്ര മണ്ണ് പുരട്ടി, സമാഹിതചിത്തത്തോടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യണം।

Word by Word

• ऋषितीर्थे: at the sages' tīrtha
• ऋषितीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• पापघ्ने: destroying sins
• पापघ्ने: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पापघ्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ऋषितीर्थे)

• सिद्धेश्वरसमन्विते: associated with Siddheśvara
• सिद्धेश्वरसमन्विते: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिद्धेश्वर + समन्वित (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ऋषितीर्थे)

• दत्त्वा: having offered
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया (having given)

• अर्घ्यम्: arghya offering
• अर्घ्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्घ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• मृदम्: clay/earth (for rubbing)
• मृदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आलभ्य: having taken (clay)
• आलभ्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + लभ् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया (having taken/obtained)

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कुर्यात्: should perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• समाहितः: composed, attentive
• समाहितः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समाहित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषण (qualifying implied subject)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced from Purāṇic narration style in Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ṛṣitīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A quiet ford named Ṛṣitīrtha: a pilgrim offers arghya, then applies sacred earth to limbs, then steps into water for snāna; a small Siddheśvara liṅga-shrine nearby under coastal trees.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣitīrtha
• Siddheśvara
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is both outer and inner: sacred bathing at a tīrtha should be done with ritual correctness and mental composure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ṛṣitīrtha, described as pāpaghna and connected with Siddheśvara (Śiva) in the Dvārakā region of Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer arghya, apply cleansing earth (mṛd), and then perform snāna with focused attention.