Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

जलदानस्य काले च सर्पान्सर्वानुवाच सः । सर्वान्नागान्प्रदानार्थं तोयस्य समुपस्थितान्

Transliteration

jaladānasya kāle ca sarpānsarvānuvāca saḥ | sarvānnāgānpradānārthaṃ toyasya samupasthitān

Translation

Und zur Zeit der Wasserspende (jaladāna) wandte er sich an alle Schlangen, an alle Nāgas, die sich zum Zweck der Darbringung des Wassers versammelt hatten.

Word by Word

• जलदानस्य: of the water-offering
• जलदानस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जलदान (प्रातिपदिक) [जल+दान]
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जलस्य दानम्) — Genitive singular, neuter

• काले: at the time
• काले: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• सर्पान्: serpents
• सर्पान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — Accusative plural

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — Accusative plural; विशेषणम् (qualifying सर्पान्)

• उवाच: said/spoke
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — 3rd person singular perfect

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular (pronoun)

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — Accusative plural; विशेषणम् (qualifying नागान्)

• नागान्: Nāgas/serpent-lords
• नागान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — Accusative plural

• प्रदानार्थम्: for the purpose of giving
• प्रदानार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदानार्थ (प्रातिपदिक) [प्रदान+अर्थ]
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular used adverbially; चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रदानस्य अर्थः)

• तोयस्य: of water
• तोयस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• समुपस्थितान्: assembled/present
• समुपस्थितान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+उप+स्था (धातु) → समुपस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — Accusative plural; विशेषणम् (qualifying नागान्)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Māhātmya style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (e.g., sages) (not explicit here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual moment at a tīrtha: a human officiant poised for jaladāna while a gathered host of nāgas—serpent-bodied, jewel-crested—assemble reverently to receive/participate in the water-offering.

Characters & Entities

• Nāgas
• serpents (sarpāḥ)
• jaladāna (water offering)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma after death includes orderly offerings and collective participation; ritual becomes a sacred channel for grief and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse does not name the specific tīrtha; it occurs within a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter where such rites gain special merit due to sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Jaladāna/toyapradāna—offering water, commonly associated with post-death rites and merit-making acts.