Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

चिन्तनैर्भक्तियोगेन परिपूर्णं च तद्भवेत् । पाद्यं तृतीयया कार्यं गंगां तत्र स्मरेद्बुधः

Transliteration

cintanairbhaktiyogena paripūrṇaṃ ca tadbhavet | pādyaṃ tṛtīyayā kāryaṃ gaṃgāṃ tatra smaredbudhaḥ

Translation

Durch Betrachtungen, verbunden mit Bhakti-Yoga, wird diese Verehrung vollendet. Mit der dritten ṛc soll er pādya, das Wasser zum Waschen der Füße, darbringen, und der Weise soll dabei der Gaṅgā gedenken.

Word by Word

• चिन्तनैः: by meditations
• चिन्तनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिन्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; Instrumental plural (by/with meditations)

• भक्तियोगेन: by the yoga of devotion
• भक्तियोगेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; Instrumental singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भक्तेः योगः)

• परिपूर्णम्: fully complete
• परिपूर्णम्: Karma/Predicative complement (कर्म/विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि-√पॄ (धातु) → परिपूर्ण (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; Past passive participle used adjectivally (fully complete)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय; conjunction (and)

• तत्: that (it)
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Pronoun (that/it)

• भवेत्: may become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; may become/be

• पाद्यम्: foot-washing water (pādya)
• पाद्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (water for washing feet)

• तृतीयया: with the third (time/act)
• तृतीयया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीया (संख्यावाचक/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; Instrumental singular; ‘with the third (one)’ i.e., third offering/act

• कार्यम्: should be done
• कार्यम्: Predicative (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु) → कार्य (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण; ‘to be done/should be done’ (gerundive)

• गङ्गाम्: Ganga
• गङ्गाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; Accusative singular

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय; adverb (there)

• स्मरेत्: should remember
• स्मरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; should remember

• बुधः: the wise (man)
• बुधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular (the wise person)

Speaker

Narratorial voice within Tīrthamāhātmya (deductive attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (smṛti-āhita)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee offers pādya at a small shrine; in the water vessel, the Gaṅgā is envisioned—miniature river goddess imagery or flowing river reflection—while the devotee’s contemplations glow around the deity’s feet.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual becomes spiritually ‘complete’ when external offerings are infused with bhakti and sacred remembrance (smaraṇa).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā is invoked as the archetypal tīrtha of purification, brought into the rite through remembrance even if one is not physically at her banks.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer pādya with the third ṛc and mentally invoke/remember the Gaṅgā in that offering.