Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

को वा तीर्थप्रसंगश्च चातुर्मास्ये समीपगे । गालवः प्राह सच्छूद्रं धार्मिकं सत्यवादिनम्

Transliteration

ko vā tīrthaprasaṃgaśca cāturmāsye samīpage | gālavaḥ prāha sacchūdraṃ dhārmikaṃ satyavādinam

Translation

„Oder welcher heilige Anlass an einem Tīrtha ist nahe, da Cāturmāsya herannaht?“ So sprach Gālava zu jenem guten Śūdra—rechtschaffen im Dharma und wahrhaftig im Wort.

Word by Word

• kaḥ: who/what (is)
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• vā: or/indeed
• vā: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ: the occasion/topic of the tīrtha
• tīrtha-prasaṅgaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + prasaṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तीर्थस्य प्रसङ्गः)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• cāturmāsye: in the Cāturmāsya period
• cāturmāsye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāturmāsya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• samīpage: when it is near/approaching
• samīpage: Adhikarana (Qualifier/अधिकरण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samīpaga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (cāturmāsye इति)

• gālavaḥ: Gālava
• gālavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gālava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• prāha: said
• prāha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ah (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sat-śūdram: the good śūdra
• sat-śūdram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक) + śūdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास

• dhārmikam: righteous
• dhārmikam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhārmika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (sat-śūdram इति)

• satya-vādinam: truth-speaking
• satya-vādinam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक) + vādin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (सत्यं वदतीति)

Speaker

Gālava

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gālava questions the dhārmika, truth-speaking Paijavana about what tīrtha occasion is imminent with Cāturmāsya near; both appear earnest, with a sense of seasonal transition (monsoon clouds, first rains).

Characters & Entities

• Gālava
• Cāturmāsya
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time (Cāturmāsya) and sacred place (tīrtha) are intertwined; the wise inquire into the right occasion for pilgrimage and observance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse refers generally to tīrtha-prasaṅga (a pilgrimage context) without naming a specific site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It signals Cāturmāsya as a key observance-season, prompting inquiry into appropriate tīrtha-related practices.