Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः स्नात्वा पूजयेद्वृषभध्वजम् । सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तो गतिं यात्यश्वमेधिनाम्

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā pūjayedvṛṣabhadhvajam | sarvapāpavinirmukto gatiṃ yātyaśvamedhinām

Translation

凡在此圣地渡口沐浴，并礼敬持牛旗之主（湿婆）者，皆得脱离一切罪垢，获得行马祭（阿湿婆梅陀）者所许之境界。

Word by Word

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

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

• तु: indeed; and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle; emphasis/contrast)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• वृषभध्वजम्: the Bull-bannered one (Śiva)
• वृषभध्वजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वृषभस्य ध्वजः)

• सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तः: freed from all sins
• सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पाप + विनिर्मुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); भूतकृदन्त-विशेषण (past participial adjective); समासः तत्पुरुष (सर्वपापेभ्यः विनिर्मुक्तः)

• गतिम्: state; destination
• गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• याति: attains; goes to
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• अश्वमेधिनाम्: of those who performed the Aśvamedha
• अश्वमेधिनाम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेधिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Siddheśvara tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (mahīpāla)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrim bathing at the Narmadā ford, then offering worship to Śiva marked by the bull-banner; the atmosphere conveys cleansing and triumphant spiritual uplift, with subtle yajña imagery implied by the Aśvamedha comparison.

Characters & Entities

• Siddheśvara/Śiva
• Vṛṣabhadhvaja (Śiva)
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snān and Śiva-pūjā, when done with faith, are portrayed as extraordinarily potent—equal to grand Vedic sacrifices in merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Siddheśvara Tīrtha on the Narmadā’s southern bank (from the preceding verse).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathe at the tīrtha (snāna) and worship Śiva (pūjā of Vṛṣabhadhvaja).