Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मण्या चैव शूद्र्या च कुमारीभ्यां विनिर्मितम् । अष्टम्यां च चतुर्दश्यां यस्ताभ्यां स्नानमाचरेत्

Transliteration

brāhmaṇyā caiva śūdryā ca kumārībhyāṃ vinirmitam | aṣṭamyāṃ ca caturdaśyāṃ yastābhyāṃ snānamācaret

Translation

صُنِعَ هذا الموضع على يد عذراءين—إحداهما براهمنية والأخرى شودرية—فمن اغتسل هناك في اليوم الثامن وفي اليوم الرابع عشر من الشهر القمري فقد أتى بالنسك المأمور به.

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मण्या: by a brāhmaṇa woman
• ब्राह्मण्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयाव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avyaya (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• शूद्र्या: by a śūdra woman
• शूद्र्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयाव्यय (conjunction)

• कुमारीभ्याम्: by two maidens
• कुमारीभ्याम्: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), द्विवचन

• विनिर्मितम्: constructed/created
• विनिर्मितम्: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + निर् + मा (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (तीर्थद्वयम् इत्यर्थे)

• अष्टम्याम्: on the eighth (lunar day)
• अष्टम्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कालाधिकरणम्

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयाव्यय (conjunction)

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

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

• ताभ्याम्: in/with those two (tīrthas)
• ताभ्याम्: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), द्विवचन; (तयोः तीर्थयोः)

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आचरेत्: should perform
• आचरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra tīrtha-dvaya

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two maidens—one depicted with Brāhmaṇī markers, one with Śūdrā markers—consecrate or indicate the two tīrthas; pilgrims bathe at dawn on aṣṭamī and caturdaśī under a crescent/moonlit sky motif.

Characters & Entities

• Two Kumārikās
• Brāhmaṇī
• Śūdrā
• Aṣṭamī
• Caturdaśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred bathing, aligned with auspicious lunar days, is presented as a dharmic means that supports higher spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The two tīrthas in Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra, created by the two maidens.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna (ritual bathing) at the two tīrthas on Aṣṭamī (8th tithi) and Caturdaśī (14th tithi).