Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

स्नानं कदाचित्कुर्वंति जीवन्मुक्ता भवंति ते । एतत्तीर्थसमं पुण्यं न भूतं न भविष्यति

Transliteration

snānaṃ kadācitkurvaṃti jīvanmuktā bhavaṃti te | etattīrthasamaṃ puṇyaṃ na bhūtaṃ na bhaviṣyati

Translation

ผู้ที่อาบน้ำที่นี่แม้เพียงครั้งเดียว ย่อมเป็นชีวันมุกตะ หลุดพ้นขณะยังมีชีวิต บุญกุศลเสมอด้วยตถีรถะนี้ไม่เคยมีมาในกาลก่อน และจักไม่มีในกาลหน้า

Word by Word

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कदाचित्: at any time
• कदाचित्: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (at some time/ever)

• कुर्वन्ति: do/perform
• कुर्वन्ति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• जीवन्मुक्ताः: liberated while living
• जीवन्मुक्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवत् (प्रातिपदिक; √जीव् + शतृ) + मुक्त (प्रातिपदिक; √मुच् + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (जीवन् एव मुक्ताः)

• भवन्ति: become
• भवन्ति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘एतत्तीर्थसमम्’ इत्यत्र विशेषण

• तीर्थसमम्: equal to a tīrtha
• तीर्थसमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीर्थ + सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थेण समम् / तीर्थसदृशम्)

• पुण्यम्: merit/holy benefit
• पुण्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• भूतम्: has existed
• भूतम्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय) / भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त ‘been/existed’ (predicate)

• न: nor
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (explicit phala-śruti praise)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vetāla-varadā Tīrtha

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims bathe once in the sacred ford; above them, a serene aura suggests liberation-in-life—calm faces, loosened bonds, and a luminous stillness pervading the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Vetāla-varadā Tīrtha
• Jīvanmukti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is portrayed as accessible through sincere engagement with sacred places—tīrtha-snāna becomes a catalyst for jīvanmukti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vetāla-varadā Tīrtha (south of Cakratīrtha), praised as unparalleled in merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in the tīrtha, even a single time.