Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

सम्प्राप्तां कार्त्तिकीं दृष्ट्वा गत्वा तत्र नृपोत्तम । चतुर्दश्यामुपोष्यैव स्नात्वा वै नर्मदाजले

Transliteration

samprāptāṃ kārttikīṃ dṛṣṭvā gatvā tatra nṛpottama | caturdaśyāmupoṣyaiva snātvā vai narmadājale

Translation

إذا رأى المرءُ أن شهر كَارْتِّكِي (Kārttikī) قد حلّ، يا أفضلَ الملوك، فليذهب إلى هناك؛ وفي اليوم القمري الرابع عشر، صائمًا، ليغتسل في مياه نَرْمَدَا (Narmadā).

Word by Word

• सम्प्राप्ताम्: arrived/come
• सम्प्राप्ताम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; 'कार्त्तिकीम्' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• कार्त्तिकीम्: Kārttikī (month/season)
• कार्त्तिकीम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्त्तिकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/स्थान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• नृपोत्तम: O best king
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप-उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (उत्तमः नृपः)

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• उपोष्य: having fasted
• उपोष्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-वस् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); उपवासं कृत्वा (having fasted)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: indeed)

• नर्मदाजले: in the waters of the Narmadā
• नर्मदाजले: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा-जल (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नर्मदायाः जलम्)

Speaker

Śiva (Śaṅkara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) at Loṭaṇeśvara vicinity

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpottama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn on caturdaśī, pilgrims stand waist-deep in Narmadā, hands cupped for arghya; some keep a simple fast, carrying only a water pot; the riverbank shrine awaits worship after bathing.

Characters & Entities

• Kārttikī
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and disciplined vrata (fasting with sacred bathing) in Kārttikī are upheld as a direct means of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā (Revā) tīrtha-region is central; the instruction is to go to that sacred locale for observance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observe upavāsa (fast) on caturdaśī and perform snāna (ritual bath) in Narmadā-jala.