Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । उपदेशः पुरा दत्तो द्विसप्ततिमुनीश्वरैः । आनर्ताधिपतिः पूर्वं कुष्ठरोग प्रपीडितः । शंखतीर्थं समागत्य स्नानं चक्रे त्वरान्वितः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | upadeśaḥ purā datto dvisaptatimunīśvaraiḥ | ānartādhipatiḥ pūrvaṃ kuṣṭharoga prapīḍitaḥ | śaṃkhatīrthaṃ samāgatya snānaṃ cakre tvarānvitaḥ

Translation

Sūta dit : « Jadis, l’instruction fut donnée par soixante-douze grands sages. Autrefois, le seigneur d’Ānarta, accablé par la lèpre, vint à Śaṃkha-tīrtha et, dans l’urgence, accomplit le bain purificateur ».

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta (the narrator)
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• upadeśaḥ: instruction, teaching
• upadeśaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upadeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• purā: formerly, once
• purā: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• dattaḥ: given
• dattaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपदेशः इति सह विशेष्य-विशेषणभावः

• dvi-saptati-muni-īśvaraiḥ: by the seventy-two lordly sages
• dvi-saptati-muni-īśvaraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvi (प्रातिपदिक) + saptati (प्रातिपदिक) + muni (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः—द्विसप्ततिः (संख्या) + मुनीश्वराः (मुनिश्रेष्ठाः)

• ānarta-adhipatiḥ: the ruler of Ānarta
• ānarta-adhipatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ānarta (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ānartasya adhipatiḥ)

• pūrvam: formerly, earlier
• pūrvam: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvam (अव्यय/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-रूप)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: formerly)

• kuṣṭha-rogaḥ: leprosy disease
• kuṣṭha-rogaḥ: Hetu/State (Cause/condition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + roga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—कुष्ठः एव रोगः

• prapīḍitaḥ: afflicted, tormented
• prapīḍitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + pīḍ (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (ānartādhipatiḥ)

• śaṃkha-tīrtham: to Śaṅkha-tīrtha
• śaṃkha-tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkha (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (śaṃkhasya tīrtham)

• samāgatya: having come/arrived
• samāgatya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + ā + gam (धातु) + tya (क्त्वा/ल्यप्)
• Form: अव्ययभाव-कृदन्त (gerund/क्त्वान्त), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• snānam: bath
• snānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• cakre: did, performed
• cakre: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• tvarā-anvitaḥ: endowed with haste
• tvarā-anvitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tvarā (प्रातिपदिक) + anvita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषार्थः/सह-भावः—त्वरया अन्वितः; विशेषणम् (ānartādhipatiḥ)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṃkha-tīrtha

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (standard frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A leprosy-afflicted king of Ānarta, desperate yet hopeful, arrives at Śaṃkha-tīrtha; seventy-two sages stand nearby as witnesses and teachers while the king hastens into the sacred waters for snāna.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Ānartādhipati (king of Ānarta)
• Śaṃkhatīrtha
• Munīśvaras (72 sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Approaching a tīrtha with faith and humility—guided by sages—can transform suffering into devotion and dharmic renewal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaṃkhatīrtha is explicitly named and introduced as the pivotal sacred site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (sacred bathing) at Śaṃkhatīrtha is performed, presented as the key act connected to purification and grace.