Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

एतैश्चिह्नैर्मुनिश्रेष्ठ ज्ञात्वा स्नानं समाचर । तच्छ्रुत्वा स मुनिस्तूर्णं समुत्थाय ययौ ततः

Transliteration

etaiścihnairmuniśreṣṭha jñātvā snānaṃ samācara | tacchrutvā sa munistūrṇaṃ samutthāya yayau tataḥ

Translation

হে মুনিশ্রেষ্ঠ! এই লক্ষণগুলির দ্বারা তীর্থ চিনে নিয়ে স্নান করো। একথা শুনে সেই মুনি তৎক্ষণাৎ উঠে দাঁড়িয়ে সেই স্থানের দিকে গেলেন।

Word by Word

• etaiḥ: by/with these
• etaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (Instrumental Plural)

• cihnaiḥ: marks, signs
• cihnaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cihna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (Instrumental Plural)

• muni-śreṣṭha: O best of sages
• muni-śreṣṭha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (Masculine Vocative Singular)

• jñātvā: having known
• jñātvā: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (ज्ञा धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल (prior action)

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Accusative Singular)

• samācara: perform
• samācara: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√car (चर् धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (2nd person singular)

• tat: that (instruction)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Accusative Singular)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (श्रु धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल (prior action)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine Nominative Singular)

• muniḥ: the sage
• muniḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine Nominative Singular)

• tūrṇam: quickly
• tūrṇam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tūrṇam (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: quickly)

• samutthāya: having risen
• samutthāya: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ut-√sthā (स्था धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल (prior action)

• yayau: went
• yayau: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (या धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (3rd person singular)

• tataḥ: thereupon/from there
• tataḥ: Apadana/Sequence (Source/Then)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादान/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: from there/thereafter)

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative instruction within Sūta’s discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara (triad)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: muniśreṣṭha (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A preceptor points out the signs; the muni, energized, rises at once, gathers his staff and water-pot, and sets off toward the lotus-marked ponds.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right knowledge (knowing the tīrtha correctly) should immediately lead to right action—faithful observance of the prescribed rite.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara tīrtha (contextually, the Puṣkara lakes distinguished by signs).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna only after correctly identifying the tīrtha by its traditional marks.