Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

षष्ठ्यांषष्ठ्यां नृपश्रेष्ठ ह्यष्टम्यां च चतुर्दशीम् । स्नानं यः कारयेन्मर्त्यः श्राद्धं प्रेतेषु भक्तितः । तस्य पापक्षयः पार्थ सूर्यलोके महीयते

Transliteration

ṣaṣṭhyāṃṣaṣṭhyāṃ nṛpaśreṣṭha hyaṣṭamyāṃ ca caturdaśīm | snānaṃ yaḥ kārayenmartyaḥ śrāddhaṃ preteṣu bhaktitaḥ | tasya pāpakṣayaḥ pārtha sūryaloke mahīyate

Translation

โอ ราชาผู้ประเสริฐ! ในวันษัษฐี แล้วอีกครั้งในวันษัษฐี และในวันอัษฏมี กับวันจตุรทศี ผู้ใดเป็นมนุษย์ทำสรงน้ำ และด้วยศรัทธาถวายศราทธะแด่ผู้ล่วงลับ—โอ ปารถะ! บาปของผู้นั้นย่อมสิ้นไป และได้รับเกียรติในสุริยโลก

Word by Word

• षष्ठ्याम्: on the sixth (lunar day)
• षष्ठ्याम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षष्ठी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तिथिवाचक

• षष्ठ्याम्: on the sixth (again)
• षष्ठ्याम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षष्ठी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; पुनरुक्तिः (emphatic repetition)

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप-श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; नृप + श्रेष्ठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘नृपाणां श्रेष्ठः’)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Nipata (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/हेतु-बोधक कण (particle: indeed/for)

• अष्टम्याम्: on the eighth (lunar day)
• अष्टम्याम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तिथिवाचक

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• चतुर्दशीम्: (on) the fourteenth (lunar day)
• चतुर्दशीम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तिथिवाचक; (अत्र ‘अष्टम्याम्’ इत्यादि-सूच्ये तिथौ)

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘कारयेत्’ इत्यस्य कर्म

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• कारयेत्: should cause to be done / should perform (by arranging)
• कारयेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु) (णिच् causative: कारय)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोगः (causative: ‘cause to do/perform’)

• मर्त्यः: a mortal
• मर्त्यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘यः’ इत्यस्य विशेष्य/अपोद्घात

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘कारयेत्’ इत्यस्य कर्म

• प्रेतेषु: for the departed spirits
• प्रेतेषु: Adhikarana/Visaya (अधिकरण/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; ‘श्राद्धम्’ इत्यस्य विषय-निर्देश (for the departed)

• भक्तितः: devoutly
• भक्तितः: Hetu/Prakara (हेतु/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb) ‘भक्तितः’ = भक्त्या/भक्त्या सह (with devotion)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; ‘यः’ इत्यस्य अन्वयः

• पापक्षयः: destruction of sins
• पापक्षयः: Karta/Phala (फल-कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप-क्षय (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + क्षय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘पापस्य क्षयः’)

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• सूर्यलोके: in the world of the Sun
• सूर्यलोके: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य-लोक (प्रातिपदिक; सूर्य + लोक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘सूर्यस्य लोकः’)

• महीयते: is glorified/honored
• महीयते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (is honored/glorified)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sūrya-tīrtha on Revā (Ravi-nirmita)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at dawn on Narmadā ghāṭa: snāna, then śrāddha setup—kuśa grass, piṇḍa offerings, water libations; Sūrya rising, rays touching offerings; Mārkaṇḍeya instructing Pārtha.

Characters & Entities

• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Nṛpa (King)
• Sūrya (Ravi/Bhāskara)
• Pretas (Departed)
• Śrāddha
• Snāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time (tithi) + place (tīrtha) + devotion (bhakti) together intensify dharma, yielding purification and elevated posthumous states.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sūrya-established tīrtha on the northern bank of the Revā/Narmadā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) and śrāddha for the departed on specified tithis: ṣaṣṭhī, aṣṭamī, and caturdaśī.