Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

अस्मात्स्थानात्समीपस्थं वारुण्यां दिशि पुण्यकृत् । कृष्णांगारकषष्ठ्यां यो नरः स्नानं समाचरेत्

Transliteration

asmātsthānātsamīpasthaṃ vāruṇyāṃ diśi puṇyakṛt | kṛṣṇāṃgārakaṣaṣṭhyāṃ yo naraḥ snānaṃ samācaret

Translation

Nahe bei diesem Ort, in westlicher Richtung (der Richtung Varuṇas), liegt eine Stätte, die Verdienst gewährt. Wer dort das rituelle Bad am sechsten Mondtag (ṣaṣṭhī) vollzieht, wenn er in der dunklen Monatshälfte auf einen Dienstag fällt…

Word by Word

• asmāt: from this
• asmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुँल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-प्रयोगः, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• sthānāt: from the place
• sthānāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• samīpastham: situated nearby
• samīpastham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samīpa + stha (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (स्थाने/तीर्थे)

• vāruṇyām: in the western (Varuṇa’s) direction
• vāruṇyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāruṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• diśi: in the direction
• diśi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• puṇya-kṛt: a doer of merit (pious person)
• puṇya-kṛt: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya + kṛt (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुँल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; कृदन्तः—कृत्-प्रत्ययान्त (कर्तरि)

• kṛṣṇā-aṅgāraka-ṣaṣṭhyām: on the sixth lunar day (ṣaṣṭhī) in the dark fortnight when it is Tuesday
• kṛṣṇā-aṅgāraka-ṣaṣṭhyām: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇā + aṅgāraka + ṣaṣṭhī (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; तिथिविशेषे (कृष्णपक्षस्य अङ्गारक-योगे षष्ठी)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुँल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुँल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• samācaret: should perform
• samācaret: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√car (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Nabhovāṇī (a celestial voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnamed western-side tīrtha (Varuṇa-diśi) near the principal site of the chapter

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim is directed to a nearby western-side sacred bathing place; the sky suggests an auspicious calendrical moment (dark fortnight, Tuesday, ṣaṣṭhī).

Characters & Entities

• Śarmiṣṭhā-tīrtha
• vāruṇī diś
• aṅgāraka (Tuesday)
• ṣaṣṭhī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes not only sacred places but also sacred times—proper timing intensifies the fruit of tīrtha practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śarmiṣṭhā-tīrtha (near the current location, to the west) is being indicated as the place for the prescribed bath.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at the nearby tīrtha on kṛṣṇa-pakṣa ṣaṣṭhī that coincides with aṅgāraka-vāra (Tuesday).