Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

मार्गे मासि च स्नातव्यं गर्भवासो न जायते । अन्यदापि नरः स्नात्वा विष्णुलोकं स गच्छति

Transliteration

mārge māsi ca snātavyaṃ garbhavāso na jāyate | anyadāpi naraḥ snātvā viṣṇulokaṃ sa gacchati

Translation

ينبغي الاغتسال (هنا) في شهر مارجَشِيرشا؛ فحينئذٍ لا يعود يحدث التناسخُ في الرَّحم. وحتى في سائر الأوقات، فإن الرجل إذا اغتسل (هنا) مضى إلى عالمِ فيشنو.

Word by Word

• mārge: in (the month of) Mārgaśīrṣa / on the path (contextual)
• mārge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन — Locative singular

• māsi: in the month
• māsi: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन — Locative singular ‘in the month’

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

• snātavyam: should be bathed (one should bathe)
• snātavyam: Kriya (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (तव्यत्-प्रत्यय, विधेय/कर्तव्यता), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — gerundive ‘to be bathed/one should bathe’ (impersonal)

• garbha-vāsaḥ: dwelling in the womb (rebirth)
• garbha-vāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garbha (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी/संबन्ध), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध) — negation

• jāyate: arises
• jāyate: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — ‘is born/arises’

• anyadā: at other times
• anyadā: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — adverb ‘at another time/otherwise’

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/अपि-भाव) — particle ‘also/even’

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययभाव) — absolutive ‘having bathed’

• viṣṇu-lokam: Viṣṇu’s world
• viṣṇu-lokam: Karman (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी/संबन्ध), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — Pronoun ‘he’

• gacchati: goes
• gacchati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — ‘goes’

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced; Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sītākuṇḍa

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Calendar-marked Mārgaśīrṣa pilgrimage: crowds bathing at the kuṇḍa under cool skies; above, a symbolic path of light leading to Viṣṇuloka/Vaikuṇṭha imagery, suggesting release from rebirth.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Viṣṇuloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-bathing, especially in an auspicious month, is taught as a direct means to overcome rebirth and attain divine realms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Ayodhyā sacred region being described in the Ayodhyāmāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna at the tīrtha, with special emphasis on bathing in the month of Mārgaśīrṣa.