Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

दत्त्वा शिरसि यः स्नाति भृगुक्षेत्रे द्विजोत्तम । अविचारेण तं विद्धि संस्नातं कुरुजाङ्गले

Transliteration

dattvā śirasi yaḥ snāti bhṛgukṣetre dvijottama | avicāreṇa taṃ viddhi saṃsnātaṃ kurujāṅgale

Translation

ఓ ద్విజోత్తమా, భృగుక్షేత్రంలో శిరస్సుపై విధిగా అర్పణ చేసి స్నానం చేసే వానిని సందేహం లేకుండా తెలుసుకో—అతడు కురుజాంగల (కురుక్షేత్రం) లోనే సమ్యక్ స్నానం చేసినవాడే.

Word by Word

• दत्त्वा: having given/placing
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• शिरसि: on the head
• शिरसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• स्नाति: bathes
• स्नाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• भृगुक्षेत्रे: in Bhṛgu-kṣetra
• भृगुक्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भृगु (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• द्विजोत्तम: O best of Brahmins
• द्विजोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अविचारेण: without deliberation; without doubt
• अविचारेण: Karana (Manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• विद्धि: know (you)
• विद्धि: Kriya (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• संस्नातम्: fully bathed; duly bathed
• संस्नातम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + स्ना (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कुरुजाङ्गले: in Kurujāṅgala
• कुरुजाङ्गले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु (प्रातिपदिक) + जाङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Śiva (Śaṅkara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhṛgukṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-uttama

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brahmin pilgrim performs a small rite touching/placing an offering at the crown of the head, then steps into the river to bathe; a faint overlay shows Kurukṣetra’s landscape as a spiritual equivalence.

Characters & Entities

• Bhṛgukṣetra
• Dvija (brāhmaṇa/initiated)
• Kurujāṅgala (Kurukṣetra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere tīrtha-bathing performed with the prescribed offering grants the same purificatory merit as bathing in the most celebrated pilgrimage regions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bhṛgukṣetra, declared equal in bathing merit to Kurujāṅgala/Kurukṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing at Bhṛgukṣetra after placing/giving the appropriate offering on the head (a customary ritual gesture tied to snāna and dāna).