Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

किमु षड्विंशतिं पार्थ प्राप याः क्षणदाकरः । सोऽपि तीर्थमिदं प्राप्य तपस्तप्त्वा सुदुश्चरम्

Transliteration

kimu ṣaḍviṃśatiṃ pārtha prāpa yāḥ kṣaṇadākaraḥ | so'pi tīrthamidaṃ prāpya tapastaptvā suduścaram

Translation

Hỡi Pārtha, cần gì nói đến hai mươi sáu vết nhơ mà ‘kẻ làm nên đêm’ (Candra) đã gánh chịu? Ngay cả ngài ấy, khi đến tīrtha này và tu khổ hạnh vô cùng khó nhọc, cũng được thanh tịnh.

Word by Word

• किम्: what then/how much more
• किम्: Sambandha (Discourse/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (किम्-प्रयोगः); interrogative particle ('what then/how much more')

• उ: indeed
• उ: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उ (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; particle (emphasis)

• षड्विंशतिम्: twenty-six
• षड्विंशतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षड्विंशति (प्रातिपदिक; षट् + विंशति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular (fem., numeral)

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; vocative singular (masc.)

• प्राप: obtained/reached
• प्राप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; perfect 3rd sg

• याः: which/whom
• याः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; relative pronoun accusative plural (fem.)

• क्षणदाकरः: the night-maker (moon)
• क्षणदाकरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षणदाकर (प्रातिपदिक; क्षणदा + कर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; nominative singular (masc.)

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

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय; particle ('also/even')

• तीर्थम्: the sacred place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular (neut.)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular (neut.), agreeing with तीर्थम्

• प्राप्य: having reached/obtained
• प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund), absolutive; having obtained

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular (neut.)

• तप्त्वा: having practiced (austerity)
• तप्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund), absolutive; having performed austerity

• सुदुश्चरम्: very difficult to perform
• सुदुश्चरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुदुश्चर (प्रातिपदिक; सु + दुस् + चर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular (neut.), qualifying तपः

Speaker

Vyāsa (deduced, addressing Pārtha/Yudhiṣṭhira context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somānātha/Prabhāsa tīrtha (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed as Pārtha here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dark, formidable figure symbolizing the ‘night-maker’ arrives at the tīrtha, then performs severe austerities—standing in meditation, fasting—until a radiant purification aura surrounds him near the shrine/riverbank.

Characters & Entities

• Pārtha
• Soma (Moon) implied by kṣaṇadākara
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even heavy karmic burden can be relieved through reaching a sanctified tīrtha and undertaking sincere austerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘this tīrtha’ of Revā Khaṇḍa, in a passage that is tying Soma’s story to Soma-nātha and its surrounding sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) performed after reaching the tīrtha is highlighted as the means of purification.