Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यो गत्वा स्नानं कुर्यान्नरेश्वर । अश्वमेधस्य यज्ञस्य फलं प्राप्नोति मानवः । एवम्भूतं न जानन्ति मोक्षापेक्षणिका नराः

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yo gatvā snānaṃ kuryānnareśvara | aśvamedhasya yajñasya phalaṃ prāpnoti mānavaḥ | evambhūtaṃ na jānanti mokṣāpekṣaṇikā narāḥ

Translation

ข้าแต่นเรศวร ผู้ใดไปยังทีรถะนั้นแล้วอาบน้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์ ย่อมได้ผลแห่งยัญญะอัศวเมธ แต่ผู้คนผู้ใฝ่โมกษะกลับไม่รู้ความจริงอันน่าอัศจรรย์เช่นนี้

Word by Word

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

• तीर्थे: at the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative singular

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle

• यः: whoever
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular (relative pronoun)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययभाव), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया — Absolutive (having gone)

• स्नानम्: bath
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• कुर्यात्: should do
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (संभावना/आज्ञा), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Optative, 3rd person singular

• नर-ईश्वर: O lord of men
• नर-ईश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Vocative singular; तत्पुरुष (नराणाम् ईश्वरः)

• अश्वमेधस्य: of the Aśvamedha
• अश्वमेधस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Masculine, Genitive singular

• यज्ञस्य: of the sacrifice
• यज्ञस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — Masculine, Genitive singular

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• प्राप्नोति: obtains
• प्राप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present indicative, 3rd person singular

• मानवः: a man
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• एवम्-भूतम्: such (a fact)
• एवम्-भूतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय) + भूत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular; अव्ययीभाव (एवम् + भूतम् = 'such')

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध) — negation particle

• जानन्ति: know
• जानन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — Present indicative, 3rd person plural

• मोक्ष-अपेक्षणिकाः: desirous of liberation
• मोक्ष-अपेक्षणिकाः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + अपेक्षणिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative plural; तत्पुरुष (मोक्षस्य अपेक्षा येषाम् / मोक्षापेक्षिणः)

• नराः: men
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative plural

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Muktitīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nareśvara (addressed: ‘O lord of men’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim enters the river at the ghat, hands joined, performing snāna; above, a symbolic vision of a horse-sacrifice altar appears faintly in the sky as a metaphor for ‘Aśvamedha-phala’; nearby, some indifferent travelers pass, illustrating ‘not knowing’.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvamedha
• tīrtha (Muktitīrtha/Bhūtīśvara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and tīrtha-snān can equal the highest sacrificial merits, yet discernment is needed to value such dharma-supporting means.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘tatra tīrthe’ refers to the celebrated Muktitīrtha/Bhūtīśvara context of this adhyāya in Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go to the tīrtha and perform snāna; its promised fruit is compared to the Aśvamedha yajña.