Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

लिप्यते न च पापेन कथंचित्तकृतेन च । नरो वा यदि वा नारी तत्तीर्थस्य प्रभावतः

Transliteration

lipyate na ca pāpena kathaṃcittakṛtena ca | naro vā yadi vā nārī tattīrthasya prabhāvataḥ

Translation

Pelo poder desse tīrtha, nem homem nem mulher ficam manchados pelo pecado, mesmo por uma falta cometida de qualquer maneira.

Word by Word

• लिप्यते: is tainted, is smeared
• लिप्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लिप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• पापेन: by sin
• पापेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• कथंचित्: somehow, in any way
• कथंचित्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथंचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक/अनिश्चितता (indefinite adverb)

• कृतेन: by a deed (done)
• कृतेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत (प्रातिपदिक; कृ-धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘कृत’ (done act) इति भाववाचक

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Disjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-निपात (conditional particle)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Disjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-निपात

• नारी: a woman
• नारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Determiner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषसमासे पूर्वपदत्वेन (as determiner)

• तीर्थस्य: of the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• प्रभावतः: due to the power
• प्रभावतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (cause)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous tīrtha—riverbank or sacred tank—radiating a protective aura; men and women stand within the glow, their dark ‘stains’ symbolically dissolving into light.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It proclaims the exceptional ‘prabhāva’ of the sacred place: contact with the tīrtha overrides moral taint and grants purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘that tīrtha’ refers to the Rudraśīrṣa-tīrtha/kuṇḍa praised in this adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, visiting/approaching the tīrtha is valorized; the explicit snāna prescription appears earlier in the passage.