Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

दौर्भाग्यं नाशमायाति स्नानमात्रेण पाण्डव । तत्र तीर्थे तु यो भक्त्या कन्यादानं प्रयच्छति

Transliteration

daurbhāgyaṃ nāśamāyāti snānamātreṇa pāṇḍava | tatra tīrthe tu yo bhaktyā kanyādānaṃ prayacchati

Translation

اے پاندَو! صرف اسنان ہی سے بدبختی مٹ جاتی ہے۔ اور جو کوئی اس تیرتھ پر بھکتی کے ساتھ کنیا دان (دختر کا دان) کرے—

Word by Word

• दौर्भाग्यम्: misfortune
• दौर्भाग्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दौर्भाग्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• नाशम्: to destruction
• नाशम्: Gati/Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• आयाति: goes/comes (reaches)
• आयाति: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present Indicative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• स्नानमात्रेण: by mere bathing
• स्नानमात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान-मात्र (प्रातिपदिक); घटकाः: स्नान + मात्र
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (मात्र-समासार्थः: “केवलं स्नानम्”)

• पाण्डव: O Pāṇḍava
• पाण्डव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative); एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: “there”)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोध/अन्वय (particle: “but/indeed”)

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

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन

• कन्यादानम्: gift of a maiden (kanyādāna)
• कन्यादानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या-दान (प्रातिपदिक); घटकाः: कन्या + दान
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः: “कन्यायाः दानम्”)

• प्रयच्छति: gives/bestows
• प्रयच्छति: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-यम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present Indicative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; addressing a Pāṇḍava listener within the dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnamed Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a river ford, pilgrims bathe; a royal listener (Pāṇḍava) is addressed by a sage; nearby, a ceremonial marriage-gift scene is suggested—parents offering their daughter with ritual vessels, garlands, and sacred fire implied.

Characters & Entities

• Pāṇḍava
• Tīrtha
• Kanyā-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage-bathing purifies adversity, and dharmic gifts performed at a tīrtha multiply spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha referenced as “tatra tīrthe” within Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform tīrtha-snān and, with devotion, conduct kanyā-dāna (marriage-gift) at the sacred place.