Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 112

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । ततस्तद्वचनाच्छक्रस्तीर्थयात्रापरायणः । बभ्राम सकलां पृथ्वीं स्नानं कुर्वन्पृथक्पृथक्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | tatastadvacanācchakrastīrthayātrāparāyaṇaḥ | babhrāma sakalāṃ pṛthvīṃ snānaṃ kurvanpṛthakpṛthak

Translation

Sūta sprach: „Daraufhin, jenen Worten folgend, widmete sich Śakra (Indra) ganz der Pilgerfahrt zu den Tīrthas. Er wanderte über die ganze Erde und vollzog an jedem heiligen Ort gesondert das rituelle Bad.“

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta (the narrator)
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• तत्-वचनात्: from that statement
• तत्-वचनात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तस्य वचनम्)

• शक्रः: Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• तीर्थ-यात्रा-परायणः: devoted to pilgrimage to sacred places
• तीर्थ-यात्रा-परायणः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक) + परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (तीर्थयात्रायां परायणः)

• बभ्राम: wandered
• बभ्राम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• सकलाम्: entire
• सकलाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• पृथ्वीम्: the earth
• पृथ्वीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथ्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

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

• कुर्वन्: doing; performing
• कुर्वन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ-प्रत्यय, Present Active Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पृथक्: separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• पृथक्: each time separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति (reduplication for emphasis)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra/Śakra as a weary yet resolute pilgrim-king, moving from ford to ford, performing snāna at each—rivers, ghāṭas, forest hermitages, and distant shrines passing like a montage.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Indra (Śakra)
• Tīrthayātrā
• Pṛthvī
• Snāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is pursued through disciplined practice—pilgrimage and repeated sacred bathing express sustained commitment to dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse praises the network of tīrthas across the earth collectively rather than a single named site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīrthayātrā with snāna at each tīrtha—bathing in different sacred waters as a form of prāyaścitta.