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

হে নৃপোত্তম, কাৰ্ত্তিকী আহিল বুলি দেখি তাত গমন কৰা উচিত; আৰু চতুৰ্দশীত উপবাস কৰি নর্মদাৰ জলে স্নান কৰা উচিত।

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.