Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

तन्मध्ये च महाराज यो व्रजेच्छुद्धिकाङ्क्षया । योजने योजने तस्य प्रायश्चित्तं विदुर्बुधाः

Transliteration

tanmadhye ca mahārāja yo vrajecchuddhikāṅkṣayā | yojane yojane tasya prāyaścittaṃ vidurbudhāḥ

Translation

และภายในจาริกนั้นเอง มหาราช ผู้ใดดำเนินไปด้วยความปรารถนาจะชำระตน บัณฑิตทั้งหลายย่อมรู้ว่า สำหรับเขา ทุก ๆ โยชนย่อมมีการชำระด้วยปรายัศจิตตะเกิดขึ้น

Word by Word

• तत्: in that
• तत्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण/Locative), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद-रूप (तन्मध्ये)

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण/Locative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

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

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

• व्रजेत्: should go
• व्रजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• शुद्धिकाङ्क्षया: with desire for purification
• शुद्धिकाङ्क्षया: Karana (Means/Motive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुद्धि-काङ्क्षा (प्रातिपदिक; शुद्धि + काङ्क्षा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/Instrumental), एकवचन; हेतौ (as motive)

• योजने: in each yojana
• योजने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण/Locative), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (repetition)

• योजने: yojana by yojana
• योजने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति

• तस्य: of him/for him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रायश्चित्तम्: expiation
• प्रायश्चित्तम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रायश्चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता/Nominative), एकवचन

• विदुः: know/declare
• विदुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• बुधाः: the wise (people)
• बुधाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (Revā Khaṇḍa narrative voice, addressing Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā yātrā (within the 24-yojana frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim progresses along the river with focused devotion; each milestone is sanctified, suggesting that every yojana traversed becomes an expiatory rite when done with pure intent.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification depends on intention: traveling with sincere śuddhi-kāṅkṣā turns each step of the yātrā into expiation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā yātrā corridor itself—pilgrimage along the Narmadā—where each segment of travel is spiritually potent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The yātrā is framed as prāyaścitta, counted per yojana, emphasizing steady, disciplined progress.