Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

एवं सर्वेषु तीर्थेषु तथा ह्यायतनेषु च । स्नातव्यं भक्तियुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना

Transliteration

evaṃ sarveṣu tīrtheṣu tathā hyāyataneṣu ca | snātavyaṃ bhaktiyuktena cetasā nānyagāminā

Translation

So soll man in allen Tīrthas und ebenso in heiligen Heiligtümern baden, mit einem Geist, der in Hingabe verbunden ist und nicht anderswohin abschweift.

Word by Word

• evaṃ: thus
• evaṃ: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evaṃ (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारार्थक-अव्यय

• sarveṣu: in all
• sarveṣu: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying tīrtheṣu)

• tīrtheṣu: in sacred places
• tīrtheṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: तथार्थक-अव्यय (likewise)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ (indeed/for)

• āyataneṣu: in shrines/abodes
• āyataneṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyatana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• snātavyam: one should bathe
• snātavyam: Kriyā (Obligation predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (तव्यत्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-भावः (gerundive: 'should be bathed')

• bhakti-yuktena: with devotion-endowed
• bhakti-yuktena: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + yukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √yuj)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying cetasā)

• cetasā: with the mind
• cetasā: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cetas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• anya-gāminā: not going elsewhere; undistracted
• anya-gāminā: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक) + gāmin (प्रातिपदिक; from √gam)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying cetasā); 'अन्यत्र गच्छति' इति

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee stands at a tīrtha-ghāṭa with eyes half-closed, hands in añjali, then enters the water slowly while repeating a mantra; around them, the world is muted, showing the ‘not wandering mind’. Nearby, a shrine (āyatana) indicates parallel sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• tīrtha
• āyatana (shrine)
• bhakti
• snāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The efficacy of pilgrimage is completed by inner posture: devotion and one-pointedness make the outer rite spiritually fruitful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

All tīrthas and āyatanas collectively; the verse provides a universal rule for sacred bathing rather than a site-specific eulogy.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at tīrthas and shrines with bhakti and an undistracted mind (nānyagāmin).