Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

कम्बुतीर्थे नरः स्नात्वा विधिनाभ्यर्च्य भास्करम् । ऋग्यजुःसाममन्त्रैश्च स्तूयमानो नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

kambutīrthe naraḥ snātvā vidhinābhyarcya bhāskaram | ṛgyajuḥsāmamantraiśca stūyamāno nṛpottama

Translation

Ô le meilleur des rois : celui qui se baigne à Kambu-tīrtha et, selon le rite prescrit, vénère Bhāskara, tandis qu’il est loué par les mantras du Ṛg, du Yajus et du Sāma, obtient un grand mérite.

Word by Word

• कम्बुतीर्थे: at Kambu-tīrtha
• कम्बुतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कम्बु-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; कम्बु + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative of place)

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

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकाले क्रिया; ‘having bathed’

• विधिना: according to rule; by proper procedure
• विधिना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण (instrumental)

• अभ्यर्च्य: having worshipped
• अभ्यर्च्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having worshipped’

• भास्करम्: the Sun (Bhāskara)
• भास्करम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भास्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• ऋग्यजुःसाममन्त्रैः: with mantras of Ṛg, Yajus, and Sāma
• ऋग्यजुःसाममन्त्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋक्-यजुः-साम-मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक; ऋक् + यजुः + साम + मन्त्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण (instrumental)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• स्तूयमानः: being praised
• स्तूयमानः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्तु (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक कर्मणि कृदन्त (present passive participle/शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘being praised’

• नृपोत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप-उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; नृप + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Mārkaṇḍeya, contextually)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kambu-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpottama (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-king and attendants at a Narmadā ford; the bather emerges, offers arghya to the rising Sun; brāhmaṇas chant Ṛg-Yajus-Sāma; a radiant Bhāskara icon or solar disc above the river.

Characters & Entities

• Kambu-tīrtha
• Bhāskara
• Ṛgveda
• Yajurveda
• Sāmaveda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage becomes complete when joined with proper worship—snāna at the tīrtha and reverent arcanā of the Sun with Vedic sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kambu-tīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at Kambu-tīrtha and vidhinā-abhyarcana (proper worship) of Bhāskara with Ṛg-Yajus-Sāma mantras.