Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

गंडूषमपि तोयस्य यस्तस्य निवसन्पिबेत् । सोऽपि संमुच्यते पापादाजन्ममरणांतिकात्

Transliteration

gaṃḍūṣamapi toyasya yastasya nivasanpibet | so'pi saṃmucyate pāpādājanmamaraṇāṃtikāt

Translation

جو وہاں رہ کر اس پانی کا صرف ایک گھونٹ بھی پی لے، وہ بھی گناہ سے رہائی پاتا ہے—حتیٰ کہ وہ بوجھ بھی اتر جاتا ہے جو پیدائش سے موت تک چمٹا رہتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• गण्डूषम्: a mouthful (gargle)
• गण्डूषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण्डूष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; accusative singular neuter

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थे ‘even/also’

• तोयस्य: of water
• तोयस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular neuter

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; relative pronoun nominative singular masculine

• तस्य: of that (place)
• तस्य: Adhikaraṇa (Locative-sense via genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; genitive singular (of that [place/thing])

• निवसन्: dwelling (there)
• निवसन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√वस् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक-कर्तरि शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; present active participle ‘dwelling’

• पिबेत्: should drink
• पिबेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; parasmaipada

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; nominative singular masculine

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

• संमुच्यते: is freed
• संमुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+√मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः ‘is released’

• पापात्: from sin
• पापात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; ablative singular neuter

• आ-जन्य-मरण-अन्तिकात्: from (the cycle) up to birth and death
• आ-जन्य-मरण-अन्तिकात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + मरण (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः; आ-उपसर्गपूर्वकः), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ablative singular (from [the state] up to birth and death / from the proximity of birth-and-death)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Māhātmya narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā–Yamunā-prabhāva-tīrtha (name not specified in excerpt)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ (brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim residing near a luminous confluence-tīrtha cups a small mouthful of sacred water; subtle dark vapors (sins) dissolve as the river-goddesses’ presence is felt.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha-jala (sacred water)
• Pāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha’s sanctity is such that even minimal contact—drinking a mouthful—symbolizes deep purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The water of the tīrtha connected with the Gaṅgā–Yamunā setting and Śūdrakeśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Drinking a gaṇḍūṣa (mouthful) of the tīrtha-water while residing/observing the sanctity of the place.