Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

वाचिकं मानसं पापं कर्मणा यत्पुरा कृतम् । नश्यते कपिलां दत्त्वा सप्तजन्मार्जितं नृप

Transliteration

vācikaṃ mānasaṃ pāpaṃ karmaṇā yatpurā kṛtam | naśyate kapilāṃ dattvā saptajanmārjitaṃ nṛpa

Translation

ข้าแต่มหาราช บาปใดที่เคยกระทำมาก่อนด้วยการงาน—ทั้งทางวาจาหรือทางใจ—ย่อมสิ้นไปด้วยการถวายโคกปิลา แม้บาปที่สั่งสมมาถึงเจ็ดชาติ

Word by Word

• वाचिकम्: verbal
• वाचिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाचिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण—‘वाचा कृतम्’

• मानसम्: mental
• मानसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण—‘मनसा कृतम्’

• पापम्: sin, evil
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘नश्यते’ इत्यस्य कर्तृरूपेण (नपुंसक-प्रथमा)

• कर्मणा: by action (deed)
• कर्मणा: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; साधन/प्रकार—‘कर्मणा’ (by action/deed)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative) — ‘यत् ... कृतम्’

• पुरा: formerly, earlier
• पुरा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक adverb)

• कृतम्: done, committed
• कृतम्: Kriyā (Participial predicate/कृदन्त-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) — ‘done/committed’

• नश्यते: perishes, is destroyed
• नश्यते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान/Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कपिलाम्: a kapilā cow
• कपिलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दा (धातु) → दत्त्वा (क्त्वान्त/अव्ययीभाव)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): ‘दत्त्वा’ = ‘दाने कृत्वा/after giving’

• सप्तजन्मार्जितम्: accumulated over seven births
• सप्तजन्मार्जितम्: Karta (Subject complement/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक) + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्जित (अर्ज् धातु, क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘सप्तजन्मसु अर्जितम्’ इति विशेषण (पापस्य)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced); addressed to a king (nṛpa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic depiction of three streams—speech, mind, and action—darkened by sin, being washed clean as the kapilā is gifted; the king listens to a sage narrator near the river.

Characters & Entities

• Nṛpa (king)
• Kapilā-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is possible: dāna performed in a sacred framework is presented as a powerful remedy even for long-standing karmic burdens.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ongoing Kapilātīrtha/Narmadā setting frames the teaching, though the verse emphasizes kapilā-dāna’s expiatory power.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform kapilā-dāna (donation of a tawny cow) as a means of destroying accumulated sins.