Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

लोकानां च हितार्थाय महापुण्यावतारिता । मानसं वाचिकं पापं स्नानान्नश्यति कर्मजम्

Transliteration

lokānāṃ ca hitārthāya mahāpuṇyāvatāritā | mānasaṃ vācikaṃ pāpaṃ snānānnaśyati karmajam

Translation

लोकानां हितकाङ्क्षिणी महापुण्यस्वरूपिणी अवतीर्णा। अस्यां स्नानमात्रेण कर्मजं मानसं वाचिकं च पापं नश्यति॥

Word by Word

• लोकानाम्: of the worlds/people
• लोकानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• हितार्थाय: for the sake of welfare
• हितार्थाय: Sampradana (Purpose/recipient; हेतु/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हित (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (हितस्य अर्थः), पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular)

• महापुण्यावतारिता: (she who is) brought down as great merit
• महापुण्यावतारिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अवतारित (कृदन्त; √तॄ/तॄ? causative sense from √तॄ/√तॄ?; here from √तॄ/√तॄ not standard; better: √तॄ (तारयति) causative; अवतारित = ‘brought down’)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (महापुण्यस्य अवतारिता), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle sense)

• मानसम्: mental
• मानसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• वाचिकम्: verbal
• वाचिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाचिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्नानात्: from bathing; by bathing
• स्नानात्: Apadana (Source/cause; कारण/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• नश्यति: perishes/is destroyed
• नश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• कर्मजम्: born of actions
• कर्मजम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मणः जातम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified (Revā Khaṇḍa narrator stating snāna-phala)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Revā as a radiant river-goddess descending for the welfare of beings; pilgrims bathing at dawn, the water depicted as luminous and sin-dissolving.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Narmadā’s presence is for universal welfare; sincere contact through bathing purifies inner and spoken wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā (Revā) river as a tirtha in herself, celebrated for sin-destroying power.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in the Narmadā to remove mānasa (mental) and vācika (verbal) pāpa.