Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

ततः प्रोवाच वचनमंबरीषं चतुर्भुजः । निमज्जतु सुतस्तेऽत्र सुपुण्ये जाह्नवीजले

Transliteration

tataḥ provāca vacanamaṃbarīṣaṃ caturbhujaḥ | nimajjatu sutaste'tra supuṇye jāhnavījale

Translation

তখন চতুর্ভুজ প্রভু অম্বরীষকে বললেন— “তোমার পুত্র এই পরম পুণ্যময় জাহ্নবী-জলে নিমজ্জিত হোক।”

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरवाचक (then)

• provāca: said, spoke forth
• provāca: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• vacanam: a statement, words
• vacanam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• ambarīṣam: to Ambarīṣa
• ambarīṣam: Sampradāna (Addressee)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ambarīṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे कर्मरूपेण (addressed)

• caturbhujaḥ: the four-armed (Lord)
• caturbhujaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur + bhuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (चत्वारः भुजाः यस्य/चतुर्भुजः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• nimajjatu: let (him) immerse/bathe
• nimajjatu: Kriyā (Injunctive action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-majj (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; आज्ञार्थ (let him immerse)

• sutaḥ: (your) son
• sutaḥ: Karta (Subject of nimajjatu)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• te: your
• te: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (here)

• supuṇye: in the very holy
• supuṇye: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su-puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (सु + पुण्य); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषण (jāhnavījale)

• jāhnavī-jale: in the waters of Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• jāhnavī-jale: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāhnavī + jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (जाह्नव्याः जलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

Speaker

Viṣṇu (Caturbhuja, the Four-armed Lord)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jāhnavī-jala-kunda (supuṇya waters)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu, four-armed, addresses King Ambarīṣa, pointing toward the newly manifested Jāhnavī waters; the king listens with folded hands, hope rising for his son’s cure.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Ambarīṣa
• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Obedience to divine instruction and faith in tīrtha-snānā unlock immediate purification and well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The supuṇya Jāhnavī waters manifested at the local sacred spot within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nimajjana/snānā—immersing in the Jāhnavī waters at the tīrtha.