Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

पाताले देवमार्गेण प्रविश्य नृपसत्तमम् । त्रिशंकुं स्नापयामास विधिदृष्टेन कर्मणा

Transliteration

pātāle devamārgeṇa praviśya nṛpasattamam | triśaṃkuṃ snāpayāmāsa vidhidṛṣṭena karmaṇā

Translation

Als er auf dem göttlichen Pfad in Pātāla eintrat, badete er Triśaṅku—den besten der Könige—durch ein nach Vorschrift geregeltes Ritual.

Word by Word

• पाताले: in Pātāla
• पाताले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative singular)

• देवमार्गेण: by the path of the gods
• देवमार्गेण: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Instrumental singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘देवानां मार्गः’ = the path of the gods)

• प्रविश्य: having entered
• प्रविश्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-विश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having entered’

• नृपसत्तमम्: the best of kings
• नृपसत्तमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘नृपाणां सत्तमः’ = best of kings)

• त्रिशंकुम्: Triśaṅku
• त्रिशंकुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिशंकु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• स्नापयामास: caused (him) to bathe
• स्नापयामास: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person singular); परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative: ‘caused to bathe’)

• विधिदृष्टेन: as prescribed by rule
• विधिदृष्टेन: Karana (Instrument-qualifier/करण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक) + दृष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Instrumental singular); तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (‘विधिना दृष्टेन’ = prescribed by rule)

• कर्मणा: by the rite, by the act
• कर्मणा: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Instrumental singular)

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pātāla-Jāhnavī snāna-sthāna (within Hāṭakeśvara complex)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viśvāmitra leads Triśaṅku through a luminous ‘divine corridor’ into Pātāla; at the sacred water, the sage performs a formal bathing rite with mantra and water-vessels.

Characters & Entities

• Pātāla
• Viśvāmitra (implied as agent)
• Triśaṅku

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is achieved through properly performed, rule-bound rites under realized guidance, especially in a tīrtha context.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha narrative orbiting Hāṭakeśvara, where ritual bathing is part of the sanctifying process.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) performed with vidhi—i.e., according to scriptural ordinance.