Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः स्नात्वा पूजयेत महेश्वरम् । महापातकयुक्तोऽपि नरकं नैव पश्यति

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā pūjayeta maheśvaram | mahāpātakayukto'pi narakaṃ naiva paśyati

Translation

அத்தீர்த்தத்தில் நீராடி மகேஸ்வரனை வழிபடுகிறவன், மகாபாதகங்கள் உடையவனாயினும் நரகத்தை ஒருபோதும் காணான்.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: there)

• तीर्थे: in/at the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधान/विरोधसूचक निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya-samānādhikaraṇa (Prior action to main verb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √स्ना (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action)

• पूजयेत: should worship
• पूजयेत: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष? (No—तृतीयपुरुष/3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महेश्वरम्: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः: महा+ईश्वर (कर्मधारय)

• महापातकयुक्तः: even if endowed with great sins
• महापातकयुक्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier of yaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + युक्त (प्रातिपदिक; √युज्-योगे क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः: महा-पातकेन युक्तः (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष; पूर्वपदे कर्मधारय: महत्+पातक)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय/अपवादसूचक निपात (particle: even/also)

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध (negation particle)

• एव: indeed/at all
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present Indicative), तृतीयपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual, continuing instruction in the dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narakeśvara Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee emerges from Narmadā waters, dripping, hands in añjali; then offers water (abhiṣeka) to a Śiva-liṅga at Narakeśvara; a distant Yama-world motif is turned away, symbolizing ‘naiva paśyati narakam’.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snāna combined with sincere Śiva-pūjā is portrayed as a powerful purifier that overcomes even grave moral burdens.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha within the Revā Khaṇḍa (the sacred landscape associated with the Revā/Narmadā tradition) is being praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing (snāna) at the tīrtha followed by worship (pūjā) of Maheśvara (Śiva).