Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

चतुर्द्दश्यां महाराज यस्तत्र कुरुते नरः । स्नानं तस्य भवेत्पुण्यं सर्वतीर्थसमुद्भवम्

Transliteration

caturddaśyāṃ mahārāja yastatra kurute naraḥ | snānaṃ tasya bhavetpuṇyaṃ sarvatīrthasamudbhavam

Translation

O great king, whoever bathes there on the fourteenth lunar day (caturdaśī), the merit of that bath becomes equal to the merit arising from all tīrthas combined.

Word by Word

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth (tithi)
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण (on the fourteenth lunar day)

• महा-राज: O great king
• महा-राज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (there)

• कुरुते: does, performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृ/विषय (subject: the bathing)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (of him)

• भवेत्: would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Copular/result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• पुण्यम्: meritorious, holy
• पुण्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'snānam')

• सर्व-तीर्थ-समुद्भवम्: arising from all sacred places
• सर्व-तीर्थ-समुद्भवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (born from/containing all tīrthas; qualifying 'snānam')

Speaker

Pulastya (deduced from the ongoing discourse to a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rudra-hrada

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja / Nṛpaśreṣṭha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims gather at Rudra-hrada on caturdaśī—twilight lamps, disciplined bath, offerings on the bank; the lake glows as if containing all tīrthas’ essence.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra-hrada
• Caturdaśī (lunar observance)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time (tithi) and place (tīrtha) together intensify dharma: bathing with faith at the right sacred moment yields extraordinary merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rudra-hrada, where bathing on caturdaśī is praised as supremely meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna (ritual bathing) at Rudra-hrada specifically on the caturdaśī tithi.