Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

ज्येष्ठे ज्येष्ठासु यो बालस्तत्र स्नानं समाचरेत् । न स पीडामवाप्नोति यावत्संवत्सरं द्विजाः

Transliteration

jyeṣṭhe jyeṣṭhāsu yo bālastatra snānaṃ samācaret | na sa pīḍāmavāpnoti yāvatsaṃvatsaraṃ dvijāḥ

Translation

يا معشرَ ذوي الولادتين، إن اغتسل طفلٌ هناك في شهر جْيَيْشْثَه، في أيام نكشترة «جْيَيْشْثَا»، لم تُصِبْه آفةٌ طوال سنةٍ كاملة.

Word by Word

• ज्येष्ठे: in (the month of) Jyeṣṭha
• ज्येष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/Time अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्येष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; मास-नाम (in Jyeṣṭha month)

• ज्येष्ठासु: on the Jyeṣṭhā (days/asterisms)
• ज्येष्ठासु: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्येष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), बहुवचन; नक्षत्र/तिथि-सम्बन्धे (on the Jyeṣṭhā days/asterisms)

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

• बालः: a child
• बालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/अधिकरणार्थक (there, in that place)

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

• समाचरेत्: should perform
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

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

• पीडाम्: affliction
• पीडाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पीडा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अवाप्नोति: attains/experiences
• अवाप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यावत्: until/for as long as
• यावत्: Adhikarana (Temporal limit/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-निर्देशक (as long as, until)

• संवत्सरम्: a year
• संवत्सरम्: Kalam (Time-extent/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालपरिमाणे (duration)

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे (vocative sense)

Speaker

Deductive (Sūta continuing the phalaśruti in Adhyāya 21)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bālasakhya

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijas/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A child is led to the ghat at dawn in Jyeṣṭha; priests/sages mark the auspicious nakṣatra; the water glows subtly as the snāna is performed with a protective sankalpa.

Characters & Entities

• Bālasakhya-tīrtha
• Dvija (twice-born)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma links sacred place and sacred time—properly timed tīrtha-snāna grants protection and well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bālasakhya-tīrtha (the ‘there’ refers to the tīrtha named in the preceding verse).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A child should bathe at the tīrtha during Jyeṣṭha month when Jyeṣṭhā nakṣatra is present, for year-long freedom from affliction.