Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

स्थावरेष्वपि संविश्य तन्न स्नानं विधीयते । न यत्र देवस्नानार्थं भक्तैः संगृह्यते जलम्

Transliteration

sthāvareṣvapi saṃviśya tanna snānaṃ vidhīyate | na yatra devasnānārthaṃ bhaktaiḥ saṃgṛhyate jalam

Translation

Selbst wenn man in stilles Wasser hineingeht, ist dies nicht das vorgeschriebene Bad—zumal dort, wo die Bhaktas Wasser sammeln, um die Gottheit zu baden.

Word by Word

• स्थावरेषु: in/among immobile beings
• स्थावरेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थावर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अप्यर्थक (also/even)

• संविश्य: having entered
• संविश्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विश् (धातु) उपसर्ग-सम्
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), 'सम्+विश्' = having entered

• तत्: then/therefore
• तत्: Avyaya (Discourse/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (discourse particle: then/therefore)

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Negation/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध (negation)

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

• विधीयते: is prescribed
• विधीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धा (धातु) उपसर्ग-वि
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive: is enjoined/ordained)

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Negation/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध (negation)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, सम्बन्ध/देशार्थक (relative adverb: where)

• देवस्नानार्थम्: for the bathing of the deity
• देवस्नानार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (purpose): 'देवस्य स्नानस्य अर्थम्' / 'देवस्नानस्य अर्थम्'

• भक्तैः: by devotees
• भक्तैः: Karana (Agent-in-passive/कर्ता-तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• संगृह्यते: is collected
• संगृह्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु) उपसर्ग-सम्
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive: is collected)

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Suhṛdaya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Temple devotees collect water in pots for deity-bathing; a teacher warns against entering the still reservoir; in the background, a shrine with liṅga or deity icon prepared for abhiṣeka.

Characters & Entities

• Suhṛdaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Respect for sacred resources: water reserved for divine worship should not be treated as ordinary bathing water.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named site; it reflects common temple/tīrtha practice concerning water reserved for deva-snāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not treat immersion in still waters as proper snāna when that water is collected for bathing the deity.