Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । कार्तिक्यां कृत्तिकायोगे यदा गच्छति चंद्रमाः । तदा निष्क्रामति श्रेष्ठं कमलं जलमध्यतः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | kārtikyāṃ kṛttikāyoge yadā gacchati caṃdramāḥ | tadā niṣkrāmati śreṣṭhaṃ kamalaṃ jalamadhyataḥ

Translation

Sūta sprach: „Im Monat Kārttika, wenn die Verbindung mit Kṛttikā eintritt und der Mond in diese Stellung gelangt, dann steigt aus der Mitte des Wassers ein überaus erhabener Lotos empor.“

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• कार्तिक्याम्: in Kārttika
• कार्तिक्याम्: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्तिकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Locative singular (time)

• कृत्तिकायोगे: at the Kṛttikā conjunction
• कृत्तिकायोगे: Adhikarana (Time/occasion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्तिका + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Locative singular

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Time-link)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक-सम्बन्ध) = temporal conjunction ‘when’

• गच्छति: goes/moves
• गच्छति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• चन्द्रमाः: the moon
• चन्द्रमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्रमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Nominative singular

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Time-link)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) = adverb ‘then’

• निष्क्रामति: comes out/emerges
• निष्क्रामति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निस् + √क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• श्रेष्ठम्: excellent
• श्रेष्ठम्: Karma (Object attribute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Accusative singular; विशेषणम्

• कमलम्: lotus
• कमलम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कमल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Accusative singular

• जलमध्यतः: from the middle of the water
• जलमध्यतः: Apadana (Source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जल + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित-अव्ययीभावार्थ)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त) = ablatival adverb ‘from’; आधार: तत्पुरुष-समास (जलस्य मध्यः) + तस्

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jyeṣṭha Puṣkara

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (inquirers)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Under a bright moon aligned with Kṛttikā, the lake’s surface parts and a radiant lotus rises from the center, petals unfolding with an otherworldly glow as onlookers watch in awe from the ghāṭ.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Kārttika
• Kṛttikā
• Candra (Moon)
• Jyeṣṭha Puṣkara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine signs in tīrthas arise at auspicious times, showing the harmony of cosmos (Moon/nakṣatra) and sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jyeṣṭha Puṣkara, where the lotus-sign is said to emerge.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance of Kārttika and the Kṛttikā-yoga as the time when the tīrtha’s sign becomes visible.