Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

सूर्ये दृष्टे तु यत्स्नानं गङ्गातोयेन तत्समम् । तत्स्नानं पञ्चमं प्रोक्तं दिव्यं पाण्डवसत्तम

Transliteration

sūrye dṛṣṭe tu yatsnānaṃ gaṅgātoyena tatsamam | tatsnānaṃ pañcamaṃ proktaṃ divyaṃ pāṇḍavasattama

Translation

Und das Bad, das man beim Anblick der Sonne vollzieht, ist dem Bad in den Wassern der Gaṅgā gleich. Dieses wird als das fünfte Bad verkündet, das göttliche, o Bester der Pāṇḍavas.

Word by Word

• सूर्ये: when/with the sun
• सूर्ये: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• दृष्टे: (when) seen
• दृष्टे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative absolute: 'when seen')

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (adversative/emphatic particle)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Relative pronoun, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• स्नानम्: bath
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• गङ्गातोयेन: with Ganges-water
• गङ्गातोयेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा + तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Instrumental, Singular); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('गङ्गायाः तोयम्')

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Demonstrative pronoun, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• समम्: equal
• समम्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Demonstrative pronoun, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• स्नानम्: bath
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• पञ्चमम्: fifth
• पञ्चमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; ordinal)

• प्रोक्तम्: is declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (PPP: 'is said')

• दिव्यम्: divine
• दिव्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• पाण्डवसत्तम: O best of the Pāṇḍavas
• पाण्डवसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('पाण्डवानां सत्तमः')

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Divya-snana (Sūrya-darśana-snana)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim bathes at dawn as the Sun rises; rays touch the water; the scene subtly overlays the idea of Gaṅgā’s sanctity through luminous symbolism.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Gaṅgā
• Pāṇḍava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right time and sacred awareness—such as sunrise—can elevate a simple act like bathing into Gaṅgā-like merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative, the teaching supports the tīrtha-mahātmya around Bhūtīśvara/Muktitīrtha on the Narmadā region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna after beholding the Sun (sunrise/solar sight), which is said to confer merit equal to bathing in the Gaṅgā.