Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । सुग्रीवः संभ्रमित्वाथ क्षेत्रं सर्वमशेषतः । बालमंडनकं प्राप्य तत्र स्नात्वा समाहितः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | sugrīvaḥ saṃbhramitvātha kṣetraṃ sarvamaśeṣataḥ | bālamaṃḍanakaṃ prāpya tatra snātvā samāhitaḥ

Translation

সূত বললেন—তখন সুগ্রীব সমগ্র পবিত্র ক্ষেত্রটি অবশিষ্ট না রেখে পরিভ্রমণ করে বালমণ্ডনক তীর্থে পৌঁছাল। সেখানে স্নান করে সে সমাহিতচিত্ত ও একাগ্র হল।

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta (the narrator)
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुग्रीवः: Sugrīva
• सुग्रीवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुग्रीव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• संभ्रमित्वा: having hurried / having become agitated
• संभ्रमित्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having hurried/being agitated’

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/now)

• क्षेत्रम्: the sacred area/field
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• सर्वम्: entire
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘क्षेत्रम्’)

• अशेषतः: completely, without remainder
• अशेषतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अशेष (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• बालमण्डनकम्: Bālamaṇḍanaka (a tīrtha/place-name)
• बालमण्डनकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल + मण्डनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (बालस्य मण्डनकं)

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having reached’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having bathed’

• समाहितः: composed, concentrated
• समाहितः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+आ+धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भावे—‘collected/attentive’

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bālamaṇḍanaka

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (Naimiṣāraṇya audience implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sugrīva, after traversing the whole sacred tract, arrives at a tīrtha named Bālamaṇḍanaka and performs a calm, reverent bath, emerging composed.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Sugrīva
• Bālamaṇḍanaka (tīrtha/kṣetra spot)
• Snāna (ritual bath)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and tīrtha-bathing purify and steady the mind, preparing one for worship and sacred acts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bālamaṇḍanaka is named as a tīrtha within the kṣetra described in Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Bālamaṇḍanaka is indicated as a purificatory act leading to samādhāna (composure).