Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

तावत्पापानि देहेषु महापातकजान्यपि । यावन्न प्रेक्षते जन्तुस्तत्तीर्थं देवसेवितम्

Transliteration

tāvatpāpāni deheṣu mahāpātakajānyapi | yāvanna prekṣate jantustattīrthaṃ devasevitam

Translation

ตราบใดที่สัตว์ผู้มีร่างกายยังมิได้เห็นตีรถะนั้นซึ่งเทพยดาทั้งหลายบำเพ็ญสักการะ ตราบนั้นบาปทั้งหลาย—even บาปใหญ่จากมหาปาตกะ—ย่อมยังสถิตอยู่ในกาย

Word by Word

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Adhikarana (Extent/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधिवाचक-अव्यय (so long/that much)

• पापानि: sins
• पापानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• देहेषु: in bodies
• देहेषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• महापातकजानि: arising from great sins
• महापातकजानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापातक-ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (महापातकात् जातानि) ‘born of great sins’—पापानि इति विशेष्य

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (even/also)

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Adhikarana (Extent/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधिवाचक-अव्यय (until/as long as)

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

• प्रेक्षते: sees/beholds
• प्रेक्षते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान/present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• जन्तुः: a creature/person
• जन्तुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थम्)

• तीर्थम्: holy place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• देवसेवितम्: served by the gods
• देवसेवितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देव-सेवित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवैः सेवितम्) + क्त-कृदन्त ‘सेवित’ (served)

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual; preceding verses praise the tīrtha)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Skanda-nāmaka Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A weary pilgrim burdened by dark, smoky sin-symbols approaches a radiant river-ford; as the tīrtha comes into view, the darkness dissolves; devas are shown worshipping the place with flowers and lamps.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana (beholding) of a divinely honored tīrtha initiates the destruction of even severe sins.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A devasevita tīrtha within the Revā Khaṇḍa context, leading into the praise of Kumbheśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated here; the act emphasized is darśana—seeing the tīrtha.