Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

ततः सुवासितैस्तोयैः सर्वोषधिसमन्वितैः । शेषोदकैः स्वर्णघटैः स्नानं देवस्य कारयेत्

Transliteration

tataḥ suvāsitaistoyaiḥ sarvoṣadhisamanvitaiḥ | śeṣodakaiḥ svarṇaghaṭaiḥ snānaṃ devasya kārayet

Translation

Dann soll man mit wohlriechendem Wasser, das mit allen heilkräftigen Kräutern durchzogen ist, und mit den übrigen heiligen Wassern, die in goldenen Krügen aufbewahrt werden, das rituelle Bad (Abhiṣeka) der Gottheit vollziehen lassen.

Word by Word

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb; अर्थे: ‘तस्मात्/अनन्तरम्’ (thereafter/from that)

• सुवासितैः: well-perfumed
• सुवासितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-वासित (कृदन्त; √वास्/वासय् धातु)
• Form: विशेषण; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), बहुवचन; पुं/नपुं समरूप (agreeing with तोयैः)

• तोयैः: with waters
• तोयैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), बहुवचन

• सर्वोषधि-समन्वितैः: endowed with all herbs
• सर्वोषधि-समन्वितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + ओषधि + समन्वित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (सर्व-ओषधि-समन्वित = ‘all-herb-endowed’); विशेषण; तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; पुं/नपुं समरूप (तोयैः सह)

• शेष-उदकैः: with the remaining waters
• शेष-उदकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शेष + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (शेषोदक = remaining water); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• स्वर्ण-घटैः: with golden pots
• स्वर्ण-घटैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ण + घट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (स्वर्णघट = golden pot); पुल्लिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

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

• देवस्य: of the deity
• देवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• कारयेत्: should have (it) performed
• कारयेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधि), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; अर्थ: ‘करवयेत्/कारयेत्’ (should cause to be done)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya didactic narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Priests perform abhiṣeka: golden pitchers (svarṇa-ghaṭa) pour scented, herb-infused water over the Deity; garlands, incense, and lamps surround; the ‘remaining waters’ are carefully preserved as sacred.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Careful, reverent worship—offering the best to the deity—forms a key expression of tīrtha-based dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse describes a worship procedure within a tīrtha setting; the precise location is not specified in this line alone.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform the deity’s bath (snāna/abhiṣeka) using scented, herb-infused water, ideally kept in golden pitchers.