Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः स्नात्वा पूजयित्वा महेश्वरम् । अग्निप्रवेशं कुरुते स गच्छेदग्निसाम्यताम्

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā pūjayitvā maheśvaram | agnipraveśaṃ kurute sa gacchedagnisāmyatām

Translation

“ณ ตีรถะนั้น ผู้ใดอาบน้ำชำระแล้วบูชาพระมเหศวร และต่อจากนั้นเข้าสู่กองไฟ ผู้นั้นย่อมบรรลุความเสมอด้วยพระอัคนี”

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक) — adverb 'there'

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचन — locative singular

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; अवधान/विरोध) — particle 'indeed/but'

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन — nominative singular; relative pronoun

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) — having bathed

• पूजयित्वा: having worshipped
• पूजयित्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √पूज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) — having worshipped

• महेश्वरम्: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; महा + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचन — accusative singular

• अग्निप्रवेशम्: entry into fire
• अग्निप्रवेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि-प्रवेश (प्रातिपदिक; अग्नि + प्रवेश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचन — accusative singular

• कुरुते: does / undertakes
• कुरुते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद — present, 3rd sg, middle

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन — nominative singular; correlative pronoun

• गच्छेत्: would attain / should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — optative, 3rd sg, active

• अग्निसाम्यताम्: equality with Agni
• अग्निसाम्यताम्: Gati/Karma (Goal as object/गति-लक्ष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि-साम्यता (प्रातिपदिक; अग्नि + साम्यता)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचन — accusative singular; गत्यर्थक-क्रियायाः फल (goal)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vahni-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a river ford, a devotee emerges from snāna, offers bilva and water to a Śiva-liṅga shrine, then approaches a consecrated fire; Agni appears as a radiant deity blessing the act.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Agni
• Vahni-tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual purity (snāna) joined with devotion to Śiva is presented as a transformative path leading to divine-like attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vahni-tīrtha on the Narmadā, where worship of Maheśvara is especially efficacious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathe at the tīrtha, worship Maheśvara, and (as stated in the text) perform agni-praveśa—entry into fire.