Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

जानश्रुतिर्महाराज एषु तीर्थेषु वै पुरा । स्नात्वा रैक्वाद्द्विजश्रेष्ठात्प्राप्तवाञ्ज्ञानमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

jānaśrutirmahārāja eṣu tīrtheṣu vai purā | snātvā raikvāddvijaśreṣṭhātprāptavāñjñānamuttamam

Translation

O großer König, einst empfing Jānaśruti, nachdem er in diesen Tīrthas gebadet hatte, von Raikva, dem Vorzüglichsten der Brāhmaṇas, die höchste Erkenntnis.

Word by Word

• जानश्रुतिः: Jānaśruti (proper name)
• जानश्रुतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जानश्रुति (प्रातिपदिक; नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-राजन् (प्रातिपदिक; महा + राजन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• एषु: in these
• एषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; ‘in these’

• तीर्थेषु: in the tīrthas
• तीर्थेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधारण/प्रसिद्ध्यर्थक

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); ‘having bathed’

• रैक्वात्: from Raikva
• रैक्वात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रैक्व (प्रातिपदिक; नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• द्विजश्रेष्ठात्: from the best of the twice-born (Brahmin)
• द्विजश्रेष्ठात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज-श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; द्विज + श्रेष्ठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; रैक्वस्य विशेषणम्

• प्राप्तवान्: obtained
• प्राप्तवान्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त (Perfect participle active); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ज्ञानस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta (addressing a royal listener in the narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tīrtha-traya (Yamunā–Gaṅgā–Gayā) as the setting of Jānaśruti’s purification

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja (king) addressed within the narrative frame; also the listening brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Jānaśruti, freshly bathed, approaches the ascetic brāhmaṇa Raikva with reverence; the riverbank/ghāṭ setting suggests the tri-tīrtha journey completed; Raikva imparts luminous knowledge.

Characters & Entities

• Jānaśruti
• Raikva
• Yamunā
• Gaṅgā
• Gayā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snānā is linked to readiness for higher teaching—purification culminates in receiving liberating knowledge from a realized teacher.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

‘These tīrthas’ refers to the triad just praised: Yamunā, Gaṅgā, and Gayā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at the tīrthas, followed by seeking instruction from a worthy guru.