Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

तत्र स्नात्वा न्यंकुमत्यां सिद्धये पितृमुक्तये । स्नात्वाथ तर्प्पणं कुर्याद्देवादीनां यथाविधि

Transliteration

tatra snātvā nyaṃkumatyāṃ siddhaye pitṛmuktaye | snātvātha tarppaṇaṃ kuryāddevādīnāṃ yathāvidhi

Translation

Dort, nachdem er im Fluss Nyaṅkumatī gebadet hat zum geistigen Gelingen und zur Befreiung der Ahnen, soll er nach dem Bad gemäß der Vorschrift die Tarpaṇa-Darbringung für die Götter und die anderen vollziehen.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकाल

• न्यंकुमत्याम्: in (the place/river) Nyaṃkumatī
• न्यंकुमत्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nyaṃkumatī (प्रातिपदिक; नदी/स्थाननाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन

• सिद्धये: for success/attainment
• सिद्धये: Sampradana (Purpose/Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी विभक्ति (Dative); एकवचन; प्रयोजन (for attainment)

• पितृ-मुक्तये: for the liberation of the ancestors
• पितृ-मुक्तये: Sampradana (Purpose/Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी विभक्ति; एकवचन; प्रयोजन (for the liberation of the ancestors)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त; पूर्वकाल (repeated: having bathed)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Sequence marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereupon)

• तर्पणम्: libation/oblatory offering (tarpana)
• तर्पणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tarpaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• कुर्यात्: should perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देव-आदीनाम्: of the gods and others (e.g., ṛṣis, pitṛs)
• देव-आदीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; बहुवचन; ‘आदि’समासान्त (of the gods and others)

• यथा-विधि: according to the prescribed rule
• यथा-विधि: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषण (according to rule)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nyaṅkumatī

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn, a pilgrim bathes in the calm waters of Nyaṅkumatī, then stands on the bank with darbha in hand, offering tarpaṇa with cupped palms; subtle ancestral silhouettes receive offerings, while devas are invoked above.

Characters & Entities

• Nyaṅkumatī
• Snāna
• Pitṛ-mukti
• Tarpaṇa
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-bathing is linked with compassionate duty: one seeks personal uplift while also working for ancestral release.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nyaṅkumatī, a sacred bathing place within the Prabhāsakṣetra tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Nyaṅkumatī followed by tarpaṇa to devas and other recipients according to śāstric rule.