Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन दीक्षितेन समन्वितम् । तत्र स्नानं प्रकर्तव्यं जलमध्ये तु सार्थिभिः । ब्राह्मणैः क्षत्रियैर्वैश्यैः सर्वैरव भृथोत्सवे

Transliteration

tasmātsarvaprayatnena dīkṣitena samanvitam | tatra snānaṃ prakartavyaṃ jalamadhye tu sārthibhiḥ | brāhmaṇaiḥ kṣatriyairvaiśyaiḥ sarvairava bhṛthotsave

Translation

Darum soll man mit allem Eifer, durch rechte Dīkṣā und Observanz geweiht, dort das heilige Bad vollziehen—mitten im Wasser—zusammen mit den Karawanenhändlern; und zur Zeit des Avabhṛtha-Festbades sollen Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas und Vaiśyas—alle—baden.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-निपातवत्; हेत्वर्थे (ablatival sense: 'therefore/from that')

• sarva: all
• sarva: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (सर्व प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक; समासपूर्वपद (qualifier)

• prayatnena: with effort
• prayatnena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prayatna (प्रयत्न प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• dīkṣitena: by/with the initiated (one)
• dīkṣitena: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīkṣita (दीक्षित प्रातिपदिक; √dīkṣ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेष्य-सम्बन्धे (by/with the initiated person)

• samanvitam: accompanied, furnished
• samanvitam: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + anvita (समन्वित प्रातिपदिक; √anv-i)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मपद-विशेषण (qualifying an implied act/arrangement)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (स्नान प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• prakartavyam: should be done
• prakartavyam: Vidhi (Injunction/विधि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + kartavya (प्र + कर्तव्य प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (तव्यत्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय (to be done)

• jala: water
• jala: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (जल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद

• madhye: in the middle
• madhye: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhya (मध्य प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• tu: indeed, but
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोधार्थक निपात (emphasis/contrast)

• sārthibhiḥ: by the companions/attendants
• sārthibhiḥ: Kartr-sahakari (Agent-associate/कर्तृसहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sārthi (सार्थि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• brāhmaṇaiḥ: by Brahmins
• brāhmaṇaiḥ: Kartr-sahakari (Agent-associate/कर्तृसहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (ब्राह्मण प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• kṣatriyaiḥ: by Kṣatriyas
• kṣatriyaiḥ: Kartr-sahakari (Agent-associate/कर्तृसहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣatriya (क्षत्रिय प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• vaiśyaiḥ: by Vaiśyas
• vaiśyaiḥ: Kartr-sahakari (Agent-associate/कर्तृसहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśya (वैश्य प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• sarvaiḥ: by all
• sarvaiḥ: Kartr-sahakari (Agent-associate/कर्तृसहकारी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (सर्व प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; सर्व-समुदायवाचक

• ava: at/for (in)
• ava: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ava (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्ग/निपात (here as preverb-like particle with following noun)

• bhṛtha: concluding bath (bhṛtha)
• bhṛtha: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛtha (भृथ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद (as in bhṛthotsava)

• utsave: at the festival
• utsave: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: utsava (उत्सव प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual; explicit speaker not stated in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jyeṣṭha-kuṇḍa (contextual)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A bustling yet reverent avabhṛtha scene: initiated bathers enter midstream/mid-water in orderly fashion; brāhmaṇas lead with mantras, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas follow; caravan-traders (sārthavāhas) arrive with flags and pack animals at the shore.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Kṣatriya
• Vaiśya
• Avabhṛtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage-bathing becomes especially meritorious when done with disciplined observance (dīkṣā) and communal dharmic intent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jyeṣṭhapuṣkara (the Jyeṣṭha Puṣkara tīrtha) within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing snāna in the waters at the time of the Avabhṛtha festival-bath, with proper consecration/observance.