Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

स्नात्वा ब्रह्मरसोत्कृष्टे कुम्भेनैव प्रमुच्यते । वन्ध्या स्त्रीजननी या तु काकवन्ध्या मृतप्रजा

Transliteration

snātvā brahmarasotkṛṣṭe kumbhenaiva pramucyate | vandhyā strījananī yā tu kākavandhyā mṛtaprajā

Translation

Омовение там—в месте, возвышенном сущностью Брахмана—даже одним лишь кувшином воды приносит полное освобождение. Даже женщина бесплодная или рождающая мёртвых детей—«бесплодная, как ворона», или та, чьё потомство умирает—избавляется от этого несчастья.

Word by Word

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); 'having bathed'

• brahma-rasa-utkṛṣṭe: in (a place/water) excellent with brahma-essence
• brahma-rasa-utkṛṣṭe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + rasa (प्रातिपदिक) + utkṛṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (brahma-rasaḥ) + तत्पुरुषः (brahma-rasa-utkṛṣṭa = excellent in brahma-essence)

• kumbhena: with a pot (of water)
• kumbhena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• pramucyate: is completely freed
• pramucyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

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

• strī-jananī: a woman (as) mother
• strī-jananī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक) + jananī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (striyāḥ jananī = a woman as mother)

• yā: who
• yā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• kāka-vandhyā: a 'crow-barren' woman (utterly barren)
• kāka-vandhyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāka (प्रातिपदिक) + vandhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (kāka-sadṛśī vandhyā = 'crow-like barren', i.e., extremely barren)

• mṛta-prajā: whose offspring are dead
• mṛta-prajā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + prajā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (mṛtā prajā yasyāḥ)

Speaker

Śiva (as narrator of tīrtha-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahma-rasa-ukṛṣṭa Revā-tīrtha (epithet-based; proper name not given)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A woman and family at a riverbank; a priest/sage indicates the proper method—one kumbha of water poured in ritual bathing; the river is depicted luminous, suggesting ‘brahma-rasa’.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Revā (Narmadā)
• Dhautapāpa Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s sanctity can remove both sin and life-afflictions when approached with simple, sincere ritual.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dhautapāpa Tīrtha associated with the Revā (Narmadā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna using a kumbha (water-pot), emphasizing simplicity rather than elaborate paraphernalia.