Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

यः स्नानं चतुरो मासान्कुरुते तैलवर्जितम् । मधुमांसपरित्यागी स भवेन्मुक्तिभाक्सदा

Transliteration

yaḥ snānaṃ caturo māsānkurute tailavarjitam | madhumāṃsaparityāgī sa bhavenmuktibhāksadā

Translation

Wer vier Monate lang ohne Öl badet und Honig sowie Fleisch entsagt, wird stets ein Empfänger der Befreiung (mukti).

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• चतुरः: four
• चतुरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण

• मासान्: months
• मासान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• तैलवर्जितम्: devoid of oil (without oil)
• तैलवर्जितम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तैल (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्जित (प्रातिपदिक; वर्ज् धातु से क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (तैलं वर्जितम्) विशेषणम् स्नानस्य

• मधुमांसपरित्यागी: one who abstains from honey and meat
• मधुमांसपरित्यागी: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक) + मांस (प्रातिपदिक) + परित्यागिन् (प्रातिपदिक; परि-त्यज् धातु से णिनि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (मधु-मांसयोः परित्यागी)

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

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मुक्तिभाक्: a partaker of liberation
• मुक्तिभाक्: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + भाक् (प्रातिपदिक; भज् धातु से क्विप्/भाक् ‘partaker’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (मुक्तेः भाक्)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: always)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from Māhātmya-style narration in Nāgarakhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee bathing at dawn in a river/pond during monsoon, with oil flask absent; nearby, simple sattvic offerings (fruits, tulasi), and symbols of abstained items (honey pot, meat) set aside or crossed out in narrative iconography.

Characters & Entities

• Mukti
• Cāturmāsya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity of habit—especially restraint in diet and bodily indulgence—supports the soul’s movement toward mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named; the verse frames liberation through vow-practice within the Māhātmya tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing without oil for four months, and abstaining from honey and meat.