Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तत्रावगाहनात्पार्थ मुच्यते जंतुरंहसा । यथा सा पिङ्गला नाडी देहमध्ये व्यवस्थिता

Transliteration

tatrāvagāhanātpārtha mucyate jaṃturaṃhasā | yathā sā piṅgalā nāḍī dehamadhye vyavasthitā

Translation

اے پارتھ! وہاں اشنان کرنے سے جیو پاپ کے تیز بہاؤ سے چھوٹ جاتا ہے؛ جیسے پِنگلا ناڑی بدن کے بیچ میں قائم ہے۔

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb of place)

• अवगाहनात्: from bathing/immersion
• अवगाहनात्: Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अव-गाहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचनम्; Neuter, Ablative singular

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचनम्; Masculine, Vocative singular

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम्; Present, 3rd person singular, middle/passive sense

• जन्तुः: a creature
• जन्तुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; Masculine, Nominative singular

• अंहसा: from sin
• अंहसा: Hetu/Karana (Cause/Instrument/हेतु/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अंहस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया (3rd/करण) एकवचनम्; Neuter, Instrumental singular (means/cause: ‘from sin’)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Upamana/Prakara (Comparison/Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक-अव्ययम् (comparative/manner)

• सा: that (she)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; Pronoun, Nominative singular

• पिङ्गला: piṅgalā (tawny)
• पिङ्गला: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पिङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; Feminine, Nominative singular (qualifying नाडी)

• नाडी: subtle channel (nāḍī)
• नाडी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाडी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; Feminine, Nominative singular

• देहमध्ये: in the middle of the body
• देहमध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचनम्; Neuter, Locative singular; तत्पुरुषः (देहस्य मध्ये)

• व्यवस्थिता: is situated
• व्यवस्थिता: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-अव-स्था (धातु)
• Form: भूतकाले कृदन्तः (क्त-प्रत्ययः), प्रथमा-एकवचनम्, स्त्रीलिङ्गः; Past passive participle, Nominative singular, Feminine

Speaker

Sūta (addressing a listener as Pārtha within the narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śukla-tīrtha (contextual) on Revā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Arjuna (Pārtha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee bathes in the Revā while a sage explains the subtle-body analogy: the Piṅgalā nāḍī glowing within the torso, mirrored by the river’s purifying current.

Characters & Entities

• Pārtha
• Piṅgalā nāḍī
• Revā (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snāna is framed as real moral-spiritual purification, and sacred places are analogized to the body’s inner channels that sustain life and transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The bathing-place on Revā (Narmadā) being described in this passage (contextually leading to Śukla-tīrtha).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Avagāhana/snāna—ritual immersion or bathing at the tīrtha for removal of sin.