Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

शौचं तु द्विविधं ग्राह्यं बाह्यमाभ्यंतरं सदा । जलशौचं तथा बाह्यं श्रद्धया चांतरं भवेत्

Transliteration

śaucaṃ tu dvividhaṃ grāhyaṃ bāhyamābhyaṃtaraṃ sadā | jalaśaucaṃ tathā bāhyaṃ śraddhayā cāṃtaraṃ bhavet

Translation

الطهارة تُؤخَذ دائمًا على وجهين: ظاهرة وباطنة. فالتطهير بالماء طهارةٌ ظاهرة، أمّا الطهارة الباطنة فتنبع من الإيمان والخشوع (شرَدّها śraddhā).

Word by Word

• śaucam: purity, cleanliness
• śaucam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śauca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन

• tu: but, indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/विरोधसूचक निपात (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• dvividhām: twofold
• dvividhām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi + vidha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying śaucam)

• grāhyam: to be accepted, should be taken
• grāhyam: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √grah (ग्रह्) + यत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative)

• bāhyam: external
• bāhyam: Visheshya (Appositional item/विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (śaucam understood)

• ābhyantaram: internal
• ābhyantaram: Visheshya (Appositional item/विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ābhyantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (śaucam understood)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• jalaśaucam: water-cleansing (purification by water)
• jalaśaucam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala + śauca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (water-purity)

• tathā: likewise, thus
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (adverb: ‘thus/likewise’)

• bāhyam: external
• bāhyam: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (of jalaśaucam)

• śraddhayā: by faith
• śraddhayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śraddhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; करण (instrument)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• antaram: internal
• antaram: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (śaucam understood)

• bhavet: may be, should be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim bathing in a river/kuṇḍa (external śauca) while simultaneously praying with closed eyes (internal śauca through śraddhā).

Characters & Entities

• Śauca
• Śraddhā
• Jala (water)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual cleanliness must be completed by inner purity—faith and sincerity are essential to dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; the verse teaches a universal dharma principle relevant to tīrtha and vrata practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Keep external purity through water-cleansing, and cultivate internal purity through śraddhā.