Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

स्नानं करोति तस्येष्टं मनसो जायते फलम् । चतुर्विंशतिमानेषु स्नातो भवति स द्विजाः

Transliteration

snānaṃ karoti tasyeṣṭaṃ manaso jāyate phalam | caturviṃśatimāneṣu snāto bhavati sa dvijāḥ

Translation

—und das rituelle Bad (snāna) vollzieht: für ihn entsteht die ersehnte Frucht gemäß der Absicht seines Geistes. O Brahmanen, man hält ihn dafür, im vollständigen Ganzen der Vierundzwanzig gebadet zu haben.

Word by Word

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• करोति: does/performs
• करोति: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तस्य: of him/of that person
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• इष्टम्: desired
• इष्टम्: Visheshana (Predicate/qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इष्ट (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: इष् (धातु) + क्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (desired/pleasing), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मनसः: of (his) mind
• मनसः: Sambandha (Of the mind)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• जायते: arises/is produced
• जायते: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject of jāyate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• चतुर्विंशतिमानेषु: in the measures of twenty-four (units)
• चतुर्विंशतिमानेषु: Adhikarana (Location/condition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्विंशति-मान (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (चतुर्विंशतेः मानानि)

• स्नातः: bathed
• स्नातः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective of saḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past participle: bathed), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भवति: becomes/is
• भवति: Kriya (Copular verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• द्विजाः: O twice-born ones
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana/Address (Vocative sense though nominative form used)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे प्रयोगः (address)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣetra-traya snāna (counted as ‘caturviṃśati’ snāna)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ (brāhmaṇas/sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim performs snāna with focused intention; above, a symbolic mandala of ‘24 tīrthas’ appears, indicating equivalence—one bath here equals bathing in all twenty-four.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer rite and inner intention work together: snāna joined with sincere mental resolve yields the promised fruit and fulfills the sacred circuit’s merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse refers to the broader ‘twenty-four’ tīrtha framework being taught in this chapter, rather than a single named site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing), with emphasis on iṣṭa-phala arising in accordance with the practitioner’s mental intention (saṅkalpa).