Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

पुरुषाणां त्रयीं ध्यात्वा स्नानं कुर्याद्यथाविधि । दशाक्षरेण मन्त्रेण ये पिबन्ति जलं नराः

Transliteration

puruṣāṇāṃ trayīṃ dhyātvā snānaṃ kuryādyathāvidhi | daśākṣareṇa mantreṇa ye pibanti jalaṃ narāḥ

Translation

สำหรับบุรุษ เมื่อภาวนาถึงไตรเวทแล้ว พึงอาบน้ำตามพิธีอย่างถูกต้อง; ส่วนผู้ใดดื่มน้ำพร้อมมนต์สิบพยางค์ ย่อมเป็นการปฏิบัติที่ชอบธรรมตามศาสนบัญญัติ

Word by Word

• पुरुषाणाम्: of men
• पुरुषाणाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचनम्

• त्रयीम्: the triad / the Vedic triad
• त्रयीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रयी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्

• ध्यात्वा: having meditated (upon)
• ध्यात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Gerundial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तम् (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वक्रिया—‘having meditated’

• स्नानम्: bath
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्

• कुर्यात्: should do/perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• यथा: according as
• यथा: Adverbial (Avyaya)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/उपमानवाचक-अव्ययम् (as/according to)

• विधि: rule/ritual procedure
• विधि: Adverbial complement (Upapada)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म) एकवचनम्; अव्ययीभाव-समासे पूर्वपदम् (यथाविधि)

• दशाक्षरेण: with the ten-syllabled
• दशाक्षरेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशाक्षर (प्रातिपदिक) < दश + अक्षर
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः (करण), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्—मन्त्रेण

• मन्त्रेण: by/with a mantra
• मन्त्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः (करण), एकवचनम्

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सम्बन्धसूचक-यत्-प्रत्ययः (relative pronoun)

• पिबन्ति: drink
• पिबन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्

• नराः: men
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Deductively: Purāṇic narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha (implied)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: narādhipa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn on a river ghāṭa, male pilgrims stand waist-deep, eyes closed in contemplation of the Vedas; then they cup water in their palms and sip while softly uttering a ten-syllable mantra.

Characters & Entities

• Trayī (three Vedas)
• Snāna
• Daśākṣara-mantra
• Tīrtha-jala (sacred water)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer purification (snāna) is strengthened by inner recollection of sacred knowledge (Trayī) and mantra-disciplined conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha whose water is ritually drunk with a daśākṣara mantra after prescribed bathing.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Meditate on the Trayī, bathe according to rule, and drink the tīrtha water while reciting a ten-syllabled (daśākṣara) mantra.