Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य चैत्रशुक्लाष्टमी सिता । तस्मिन्नहनि देवी सा नद्यां संस्नाप्य पूजिता

Transliteration

kasyacittvatha kālasya caitraśuklāṣṭamī sitā | tasminnahani devī sā nadyāṃ saṃsnāpya pūjitā

Translation

Dann, zu einer bestimmten Zeit, am achten Mondtag der hellen Hälfte des Monats Caitra, wurde die Göttin an eben diesem Tag im Fluss gebadet und verehrt.

Word by Word

• कस्यचित्: of someone/something
• कस्यचित्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; अनिर्दिष्ट-विशेष्ये 'कस्यचित्' = 'of some (person/thing)'

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/अन्वयार्थे

• अथ: then/thereupon
• अथ: Discourse connector (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, आरम्भ/अनन्तरार्थक (then/now)

• कालस्य: of (a) time/period
• कालस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• चैत्रशुक्लाष्टमी: the 8th lunar day of the bright fortnight of Caitra
• चैत्रशुक्लाष्टमी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + शुक्ल (प्रातिपदिक) + अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (चैत्रस्य शुक्लपक्षस्य अष्टमी)

• सिता: bright/white
• सिता: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (शुक्ला/white)

• तस्मिन्: on that (day/time)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• अहनि: on the day
• अहनि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• सा: she
• सा: Anvaya (Coreference)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• नद्याम्: in the river
• नद्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• संस्नाप्य: having bathed (her) / having caused to bathe
• संस्नाप्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; धातुः—स्ना (स्नान) उपसर्गः सम्

• पूजिता: was worshipped
• पूजिता: Karma (Patient/कर्म) with implied agent
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘was worshipped’

Speaker

Sūta (continues from previous verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgara-tīrtha associated Devī (name specified later as joined with Dhārā)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On Caitra-śukla-aṣṭamī, a Devī image is ceremonially bathed at the riverbank; lamps, flowers, and women devotees surround the rite; the river glints under morning light.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Devī
• Caitra-śukla-aṣṭamī
• River (nadī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time (tithi) and sacred place (river tīrtha) together intensify devotion, making worship especially fruitful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A river-tīrtha is indicated (nadī), but the river’s proper name is not given in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

River bathing (snāna/saṃsnāpana) followed by Devī pūjā on Caitra-śukla-aṣṭamī is explicitly described.