Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

यं यं कामं समाधाय तत्र तीर्थे पुमान्यदि । कृत्वा स्नानं ततो देवमर्चयेच्च महेश्वरम्

Transliteration

yaṃ yaṃ kāmaṃ samādhāya tatra tīrthe pumānyadi | kṛtvā snānaṃ tato devamarcayecca maheśvaram

Translation

Welchen Wunsch auch immer ein Mensch fasst: Wenn er an jenem Tīrtha ein heiliges Bad nimmt und danach den Herrn Maheśvara verehrt, erlangt er das erstrebte Ziel.

Word by Word

• यम्: which
• यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचन; सर्वनाम-शब्द

• यम्: whatever
• यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (distributive)

• कामम्: desire
• कामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचन

• समाधाय: having fixed (in mind), having resolved
• समाधाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-आ-√धा (धातु; ल्यप्-प्रत्यय, अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place/देशवाचक)

• तीर्थे: in the sacred ford
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी) एकवचन

• पुमान्: a man
• पुमान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचन

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conditional particle/शर्तबोधक)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √कृ (धातु; क्त्वा-प्रत्यय, अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund)

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचन

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-vishesana (Sequence marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb; thereafter/from there)

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचन

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्चय (√अर्च् धातु; णिच्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• महेश्वरम्: Maheshvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘महान् ईश्वरः’

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee completes a river/kuṇḍa bath, steps onto the ghat, and offers bilva leaves and water to a Śiva-liṅga in a nearby shrine; the scene emphasizes the ritual order and the intensity of saṅkalpa.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Tīrtha
• Snāna
• Kāma (desired aim)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage becomes fruitful through intention (saṅkalpa), purification (snāna), and devotion (arcana) directed to Maheśvara.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction applies to the tīrthas being discussed; specific names appear in the following verses.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna at the tīrtha, then worship (arcana) Maheśvara with a focused intention (desired aim).