Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

स्नानहोमपरैश्चैव जपस्वाध्यायतत्परैः । वानप्रस्थैस्त्रिदण्डैश्च हंसैश्चापि कुटीचरैः

Transliteration

snānahomaparaiścaiva japasvādhyāyatatparaiḥ | vānaprasthaistridaṇḍaiśca haṃsaiścāpi kuṭīcaraiḥ

Translation

Dort lebten auch jene, die sich heiligen Bädern und Feueropfern widmeten, eifrig in Japa und vedischem Selbststudium; Waldbewohner als Vānaprasthas, entsagende Tridaṇḍins, Haṃsa-Weise und ebenso Hüttenbewohner als Einsiedler.

Word by Word

• स्नानहोमपरैः: by those devoted to bathing and fire-offerings
• स्नानहोमपरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + होम (प्रातिपदिक) + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘स्नाने होमे च पराः’ (devoted to bathing and oblations)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (particle of emphasis)

• जपस्वाध्यायतत्परैः: by those intent on japa and Vedic study
• जपस्वाध्यायतत्परैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जप (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वाध्याय (प्रातिपदिक) + तत्पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘जपे स्वाध्याये च तत्पराः’

• वानप्रस्थैः: by forest-dwellers (vānaprasthas)
• वानप्रस्थैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वानप्रस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (masc instrumental plural)

• त्रिदण्डैः: by tridaṇḍins (bearers of three staffs)
• त्रिदण्डैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + दण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; द्विगुसमासः ‘त्रयः दण्डाः येषां ते’ (tridaṇḍins)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• हंसैः: by haṃsa ascetics
• हंसैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हंस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (masc instrumental plural); संन्यासिविशेषः (name of an ascetic order)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Addition/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ (particle: also)

• कुटीचरैः: by hut-dwelling ascetics
• कुटीचरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुटीचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘कुट्याम् चरन्ति ये’ (those who live in huts)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) — deductive attribution from Māhātmya narration

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Forest dwellers perform morning snāna at a nearby water edge; others tend small homa fires; groups sit with rosaries and palm-leaf texts; tridaṇḍins and haṃsa-sages appear with distinctive staffs and serene bearing; kutīcakas in simple huts.

Characters & Entities

• Vānaprastha
• Tridaṇḍin
• Haṃsa (ascetic order)
• Kuṭīcara (recluse)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A holy place is recognized by continuous dharma—snāna, homa, japa, and svādhyāya performed by disciplined seekers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ascetic forest-āśrama setting within Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya; the named tīrtha is contextual and unfolds in later verses.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (sacred bathing), homa (fire offering), japa (mantra repetition), and svādhyāya (scriptural recitation).