Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

कथं तद्वचनं मिथ्या महर्षेः कुम्भजन्मनः । हत्वा त्वं रावणं पापं पवित्रे गंधमादने । पापोपशमनायाशु गच्छस्वेति यदीरितम्

Transliteration

kathaṃ tadvacanaṃ mithyā maharṣeḥ kumbhajanmanaḥ | hatvā tvaṃ rāvaṇaṃ pāpaṃ pavitre gaṃdhamādane | pāpopaśamanāyāśu gacchasveti yadīritam

Translation

ถ้อยคำของมหาฤๅษีกุมภชาตะ อคัสตยะ จะเป็นเท็จได้อย่างไร ในเมื่อท่านได้กล่าวว่า: ‘เมื่อสังหารราวณะผู้บาปแล้ว จงไปโดยเร็วสู่คันธมาทนะอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์ เพื่อให้บาปสงบลงโดยฉับพลัน’

Word by Word

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb: how?)

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

• वचनम्: statement, word
• वचनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मिथ्या: false(ly)
• मिथ्या: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate modifier/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मिथ्या (अव्यय/विशेषणप्राय)
• Form: अव्यय (predicative adverb: falsely)

• महर्षेः: of the great sage
• महर्षेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर्षि (प्रातिपदिक; महा + ऋषि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कुम्भजन्मनः: of the pot-born one
• कुम्भजन्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुम्भ-जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; कुम्भ + जन्मन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘of the pot-born (Agastya)’

• हत्वा: having slain
• हत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हत्वा (कृदन्त, त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): ‘having killed’

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रावणम्: Rāvaṇa
• रावणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पापम्: sinful, wicked
• पापम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘रावणम्’)

• पवित्रे: in the holy (place)
• पवित्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पवित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गन्धमादने: on/at Gandhamādana (mountain)
• गन्धमादने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धमादन (प्रातिपदिक; गन्ध + मादन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पर्वतनाम

• पापोपशमनाय: for the removal of sin
• पापोपशमनाय: Sampradana (Beneficiary/Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप-उपशमन (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + उपशमन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन; प्रयोजन/सम्प्रदान

• आशु: quickly
• आशु: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: quickly)

• गच्छस्व: go
• गच्छस्व: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• ईरितम्: was spoken
• ईरितम्: Kriya (Reported action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ईर् (धातु) → ईरित (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि ‘was uttered/said’

Speaker

Rāma (contextual attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gandhamādana

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Companions at Setu (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma recalls Agastya’s prophecy/prescription: after slaying Rāvaṇa, proceed to the pure Gandhamādana for swift sin-pacification; the scene blends counsel, faith, and distant mountain imagery.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Agastya (Kumbhajanman)
• Rāvaṇa
• Gandhamādana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The utterance of a true ṛṣi is upheld as trustworthy; dharmic destiny unfolds in alignment with sacred speech.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gandhamādana is explicitly presented as a purifying sacred destination (pavitra) associated with the removal of sin.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage instruction is implied: after defeating Rāvaṇa, one should go to the holy Gandhamādana for pāpa-upaśamana (pacification/removal of sins).