Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

यस्तु सम्यग्विधानेन तत्र स्नात्वार्चयेच्छिवम् । देवान्पितॄन्समभ्यर्च्य मुच्यते सर्वपातकैः

Transliteration

yastu samyagvidhānena tatra snātvārcayecchivam | devānpitṝnsamabhyarcya mucyate sarvapātakaiḥ

Translation

لیکن جو شخص درست طریقے کے مطابق وہاں غسل کرے اور شِو کی پوجا کرے، نیز دیوتاؤں اور پِتروں کی بھی باقاعدہ تعظیم کرے، وہ تمام مہاپاتک گناہوں سے چھوٹ جاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular (relative pronoun)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle ‘but/indeed’

• सम्यक्: properly
• सम्यक्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — adverb ‘properly’

• विधानेन: by the prescribed procedure
• विधानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Instrumental singular

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक) — adverb ‘there’

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय — gerund ‘having bathed’

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (लिङ्-लकार), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd sg, Parasmaipada

• शिवम्: Śiva
• शिवम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular

• देवान्: the gods
• देवान्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन — Masculine, Accusative plural

• पितॄन्: the ancestors (pitṛs)
• पितॄन्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन — Masculine, Accusative plural

• समभ्यर्च्य: having worshipped (them) properly
• समभ्यर्च्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + अभि + अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय — gerund ‘having duly worshipped’

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद, कर्मणि — Present, 3rd sg, passive

• सर्वपातकैः: from all sins/offences
• सर्वपातकैः: Apadana (Ablative sense/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — Neuter, Instrumental plural; (अर्थतः पञ्चमी-भाव: ‘from’)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dhauta-pāpa

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After bathing at the ford, the pilgrim offers bilva leaves to a Śiva-liṅga on the riverbank while performing tarpaṇa; devas and pitṛs are envisioned receiving offerings as luminous presences.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Devas
• Pitṛs
• Dhauta-pāpa Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is perfected when tīrtha-bathing is joined with right ritual order—Śiva worship along with reverence to devas and pitṛs.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dhauta-pāpa tīrtha (near Bhṛgu-tīrtha) in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at the tīrtha, Śiva-arcana (worship), and worship/offerings to devas and pitṛs.