Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 114

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच । अष्टषष्टिषु तीर्थेषु त्वं स्नात्वा बलसूदन । आत्मानं हेमजं देहि पापपूरुषसंज्ञितम्

Transliteration

brahmovāca | aṣṭaṣaṣṭiṣu tīrtheṣu tvaṃ snātvā balasūdana | ātmānaṃ hemajaṃ dehi pāpapūruṣasaṃjñitam

Translation

Brahmā bersabda: “Wahai pembunuh Bala, mandilah di enam puluh lapan tīrtha yang suci. Sesudah itu persembahkan arca emas menyerupai dirimu, yang dinamai ‘Pāpa-puruṣa’ (jelmaan dosa), sebagai pengganti dalam upacara.”

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्/ब्रह्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अष्टषष्टिषु: in sixty-eight
• अष्टषष्टिषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टषष्टि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (षष्टि-शब्दस्य), सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन; 'तीर्थेषु' इति विशेषणम्

• तीर्थेषु: in the sacred fords/pilgrimage places
• तीर्थेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund); पूर्वकाले कृत्य (having done)

• बलसूदन: O slayer of Bala
• बलसूदन: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक) + सूदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (balasya sūdanaḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• आत्मानम्: yourself; the self
• आत्मानम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• हेमजम्: born of gold; made of gold
• हेमजम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेम (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (hemāt jātaḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'आत्मानम्' इति विशेषणम्

• देहि: give; offer
• देहि: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• पापपूरुषसंज्ञितम्: called ‘sin-person’ (i.e., personified sin)
• पापपूरुषसंज्ञितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + पूरुष (प्रातिपदिक) + संज्ञित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः: 'पापः पूरुषः' इति + 'संज्ञित' (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'आत्मानम्' इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aṣṭaṣaṣṭi-tīrtha (Sixty-eight Tīrthas)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śakra (Indra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā instructs Indra: a map-like montage of multiple river-fords and shrines (68 tīrthas) with Indra bathing; final scene shows a radiant golden effigy (Indra-pratimā) labeled ‘Pāpa-puruṣa’ being offered/donated, symbolizing sin relinquished.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Indra
• Bala (as epithet-context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is achieved through sacred geography (tīrtha) and prescribed dharmic acts, transforming guilt into disciplined atonement.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A collective set: the sixty-eight tīrthas are praised as powerful purifiers; individual names are expected elsewhere in the wider text.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at sixty-eight tīrthas and dāna/ritual offering of a gold-made self-effigy called Pāpa-puruṣa.