Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः स्नात्वा पूजयेद्बलकेशवौ । तेन देवो जगद्धाता पूजितस्त्रिगुणात्मवान्

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā pūjayedbalakeśavau | tena devo jagaddhātā pūjitastriguṇātmavān

Translation

ผู้ใดอาบน้ำชำระ ณ ตีรถะนั้น แล้วบูชาพระพล (บาละ) และพระเกศวะ ผู้นั้นย่อมได้บูชาพระผู้ทรงค้ำจุนโลก ผู้มีสภาวะแผ่ซ่านด้วยตรีคุณโดยแท้

Word by Word

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

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — emphatic/contrast particle

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Relative pronoun, nominative singular

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund) — having bathed

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — should worship

• बलकेशवौ: Bala and Keśava
• बलकेशवौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल + केशव (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), द्विवचन — Dvandva compound, accusative dual

• तेन: by him/thereby
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• जगद्धाता: the sustainer of the world
• जगद्धाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् + धातृ (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (jagataḥ dhātā)

• पूजितः: worshipped
• पूजितः: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: कृत (क्त) कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — past passive participle

• त्रिगुणात्मवान्: possessing the nature of the three guṇas
• त्रिगुणात्मवान्: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि + गुण + आत्मन् + मतुप् (प्रातिपदिक-निर्माण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — बहुव्रीहि/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः; अर्थतः ‘त्रिगुणात्मकः’ + ‘-वान्’ (मतुप्)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bala–Keśava-tīrtha on Revā (as indicated by context)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene river-ford on Revā with steps/ghāṭa, pilgrims emerging from snāna, and a shrine or icons of Bala and Keśava receiving offerings; the Lord’s cosmic aspect hinted by a halo encompassing the three guṇas (sattva-rajas-tamas) as subtle color bands.

Characters & Entities

• Balarāma
• Kṛṣṇa (Keśava)
• Jagaddhātā
• Triguṇa
• Tīrtha (Yojaneśvara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snānā and heartfelt worship focused on the divine forms is affirmed as direct worship of the cosmic sustainer.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter’s tīrtha—Yojaneśvara—is praised as a place where worship of Bala-Keśava yields profound merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at the tīrtha followed by pūjā of Bala-Keśava.