Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

ज्येष्ठमासे सिते पक्षे तृतीयायां विशेषतः । तत्र गत्वा तु यो भक्त्या पञ्चाग्निं साधयेत्ततः

Transliteration

jyeṣṭhamāse site pakṣe tṛtīyāyāṃ viśeṣataḥ | tatra gatvā tu yo bhaktyā pañcāgniṃ sādhayettataḥ

Translation

Surtout au troisième jour lunaire (tṛtīyā) de la quinzaine claire du mois de Jyeṣṭha, quiconque se rend en ce lieu sacré et, avec dévotion, y accomplit l’austérité des cinq feux—

Word by Word

• ज्येष्ठमासे: in the month of Jyeṣṭha
• ज्येष्ठमासे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्येष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समास (ज्येष्ठः मासः) ‘in the month of Jyeṣṭha’

• सिते: bright (fortnight)
• सिते: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण of ‘पक्षे’ (in the bright/white)

• पक्षे: in the fortnight
• पक्षे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन

• तृतीयायाम्: on the third (tithi)
• तृतीयायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृतीया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन; तिथि-वाचक (on the third lunar day)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषणार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: ‘especially’)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Spatial/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb: ‘there’)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); ‘having gone’

• तु: then, indeed
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वय (particle: ‘but/indeed/then’)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative pronoun: ‘who’)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया, एकवचन; साधन/हेतु (instrumental: ‘with devotion’)

• पञ्चाग्निम्: the five-fire rite (pañcāgni)
• पञ्चाग्निम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या) + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (five fires)

• साधयेत्: should perform/accomplish
• साधयेत्: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: साध् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘should accomplish/perform’

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक (then/thereafter)

Speaker

Śiva (Śaṅkara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (specific spot unnamed here)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-ascetic arrives at a riverbank tīrtha in Jyeṣṭha heat and sits within the pañcāgni: four fires around and the blazing sun above, hands in japa, face serene with devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Jyeṣṭha
• Śukla Pakṣa
• Tṛtīyā
• Revā (Narmadā) Tīrtha
• Pañcāgni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional austerity performed at a revered tīrtha, at an auspicious time, becomes especially spiritually potent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha within the Revā Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing pañcāgni-tapas (five-fire austerity) on Jyeṣṭha bright-fortnight tṛtīyā after going to the tīrtha.