Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

महापापान्विता रौद्रास्त्वपि ये स्युः सुनिष्ठुराः । तेऽपि तीर्थैः प्रपूयंते किं पुनर्धर्मसंस्थिताः

Transliteration

mahāpāpānvitā raudrāstvapi ye syuḥ suniṣṭhurāḥ | te'pi tīrthaiḥ prapūyaṃte kiṃ punardharmasaṃsthitāḥ

Translation

แม้ผู้ที่แบกบาปใหญ่ ดุร้ายและโหดเหี้ยมยิ่ง ก็ยังถูกชำระให้บริสุทธิ์ด้วยตีรถะอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์ แล้วผู้ที่ตั้งมั่นในธรรมเล่า จะบริสุทธิ์เพียงใด

Word by Word

• महापापान्विताः: possessed of great sins
• महापापान्विताः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + पाप + अन्वित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समास: महापापैः अन्विताः (endowed with great sins)

• रौद्राः: fierce, cruel
• रौद्राः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वय-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (even/also)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• स्युः: may be / would be
• स्युः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुनिष्ठुराः: very harsh
• सुनिष्ठुराः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + निष्ठुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समास: सु-निष्ठुर (very harsh)

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

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (also/even)

• तीर्थैः: by the tīrthas
• तीर्थैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• प्रपूयन्ते: are purified
• प्रपूयन्ते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + पू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; धातु: पू (to purify) उपसर्ग: प्र-; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगार्थः (are purified)

• किम्: what (then)
• किम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-निपात (interrogative particle: what/how much)

• पुनः: more (how much more)
• पुनः: Sambandha (Idiomatic intensifier/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरर्थक-अव्यय (again; in idiom ‘किं पुनः’ = how much more)

• धर्मसंस्थिताः: those established in righteousness
• धर्मसंस्थिताः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म + संस्थित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समास: धर्मे संस्थिताः (established in dharma)

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextually Nārada in this adhyāya’s dialogue framework)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tīrtha (generic)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contrast scene: dark, fierce sinners approach a luminous tīrtha; as they bathe, their harshness dissolves, faces soften, and light surrounds them—while dharmic pilgrims stand serene nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-sevā (pilgrimage and contact with sacred places) has extraordinary purificatory power; those grounded in dharma benefit even more.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named in this verse; it praises the general mahātmya (greatness) of tīrthas as a class.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied prescription: approaching/using tīrthas for purification (commonly via snāna, darśana, and worship), though no specific rite is named here.