Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः स्नात्वा पूजयेत महेश्वरम् । महापातकयुक्तोऽपि नरकं नैव पश्यति

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā pūjayeta maheśvaram | mahāpātakayukto'pi narakaṃ naiva paśyati

Translation

جو کوئی اس تیرتھ میں اشنان کر کے مہیشور کی پوجا کرے، وہ اگرچہ بڑے گناہوں سے بھی بوجھل ہو، پھر بھی دوزخ نہیں دیکھتا۔

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: there)

• तीर्थे: in/at the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधान/विरोधसूचक निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya-samānādhikaraṇa (Prior action to main verb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √स्ना (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action)

• पूजयेत: should worship
• पूजयेत: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष? (No—तृतीयपुरुष/3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महेश्वरम्: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः: महा+ईश्वर (कर्मधारय)

• महापातकयुक्तः: even if endowed with great sins
• महापातकयुक्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier of yaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + युक्त (प्रातिपदिक; √युज्-योगे क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः: महा-पातकेन युक्तः (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष; पूर्वपदे कर्मधारय: महत्+पातक)

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

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध (negation particle)

• एव: indeed/at all
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present Indicative), तृतीयपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual, continuing instruction in the dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narakeśvara Tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee emerges from Narmadā waters, dripping, hands in añjali; then offers water (abhiṣeka) to a Śiva-liṅga at Narakeśvara; a distant Yama-world motif is turned away, symbolizing ‘naiva paśyati narakam’.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snāna combined with sincere Śiva-pūjā is portrayed as a powerful purifier that overcomes even grave moral burdens.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha within the Revā Khaṇḍa (the sacred landscape associated with the Revā/Narmadā tradition) is being praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing (snāna) at the tīrtha followed by worship (pūjā) of Maheśvara (Śiva).