Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

उपवासेन सहितं महानद्यां हि मज्जनम् । अप्यर्वाग्योजनात्पार्थ दद्यात्कृच्छ्रफलं नृणाम्

Transliteration

upavāsena sahitaṃ mahānadyāṃ hi majjanam | apyarvāgyojanātpārtha dadyātkṛcchraphalaṃ nṛṇām

Translation

Wahai Pārtha, berendam (menyelam) di sungai agung dengan disertai puasa, walaupun dilakukan dalam jarak kurang daripada satu yojana, mengurniakan kepada manusia pahala setara dengan penebusan tapa Kṛcchra.

Word by Word

• उपवासेन: by fasting
• उपवासेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; instrumental of means

• सहितम्: accompanied (together)
• सहितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहित (कृदन्त; √सह् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; past passive participle used adjectivally; agrees with ‘मज्जनम्’

• महानद्याम्: in the great river
• महानद्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महानदी (प्रातिपदिक; महा + नदी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; locative of place

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), emphasis/indeed

• मज्जनम्: bathing (immersion)
• मज्जनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मज्जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; verbal noun ‘bathing/immersion’

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

• अर्वाक्: on this side of; within
• अर्वाक्: Desha (Spatial qualifier/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अर्वाक् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-स्वरूप)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/preposition-like), ‘this side of/below’

• योजनात्: from a yojana (distance)
• योजनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; ablative ‘from/than (a yojana)’

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन; address

• दद्यात्: would give; should yield
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘should give/produce’

• कृच्छ्रफलम्: the fruit of a kṛcchra penance
• कृच्छ्रफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ्र-फल (प्रातिपदिक; कृच्छ्र + फल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; object of ‘दद्यात्’

• नृणाम्: of people
• नृणाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; genitive ‘of men’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (to Yudhiṣṭhira) [contextual deduction across Revā Khaṇḍa dialogue]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: महानदी-स्नान (Revā-context implied)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (Pārtha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands at dawn on a broad sacred riverbank, having fasted, then performs full immersion with folded hands; sages witness and bless, with the river personified as a goddess.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When tīrtha-bathing is joined with self-restraint (fasting), it becomes a potent purificatory act comparable to formal expiatory austerities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A ‘great river’ (mahānadi) is praised—consistent with Revā Khaṇḍa’s riverine tīrtha-mahātmya (centered on the Revā/Narmadā tradition).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Upavāsa (fasting) together with majjana (immersive bath) in a mahānadi; the stated result is kṛcchra-phala (fruit of the Kṛcchra penance).