Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः कुर्यात्किंचित्कर्म शुभाशुभम् । हर्षान्मदान्महाराज तत्सर्वं जायतेऽक्षयम्

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ kuryātkiṃcitkarma śubhāśubham | harṣānmadānmahārāja tatsarvaṃ jāyate'kṣayam

Translation

ณ ตีรถะนั้น บุคคลใดกระทำกรรมใด ๆ ไม่ว่ามงคลหรืออัปมงคล ข้าแต่มหาราช แม้ทำด้วยความยินดีหรือด้วยความประมาท ผลทั้งปวงย่อมเป็นอักษยะ คือไม่เสื่อมสูญ

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण/adverb of place)

• तीर्थे: in the sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle; emphasis/contrast)

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

• कुर्यात्: should do
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• किंचित्: some, a little
• किंचित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: किंचित् (सर्वनाम/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण (indefinite)

• कर्म: deed, action
• कर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• शुभाशुभम्: good and bad
• शुभाशुभम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ + अशुभ (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: द्वन्द्वसमास (इतरेतर), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मविशेषण

• हर्षात्: from joy
• हर्षात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (ablative of cause)

• मदात्: from intoxication/pride
• मदात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (demonstrative)

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• जायते: becomes/arises
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अक्षयम्: imperishable
• अक्षयम्: Karta-predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेयविशेषण (predicate adjective)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (unspecified sub-tīrtha in Revākhaṇḍa context)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king addressed as ‘mahārāja’

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a luminous river-tīrtha where even small deeds radiate as enduring karmic fruits; the riverbank glows, suggesting ‘akṣaya’ potency and the need for careful conduct.

Characters & Entities

• Mahārāja (listener, likely Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Tīrtha
• Karkaṭeśvara
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha magnifies outcomes: it encourages mindful virtue and cautions against careless wrongdoing in sacred space.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Karkaṭeśvara tīrtha on the Narmadā’s northern bank.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single rite is specified; the verse functions as a dharmic caution that any action at the tīrtha becomes akṣaya in consequence.