Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

जलदानस्य काले च सर्पान्सर्वानुवाच सः । सर्वान्नागान्प्रदानार्थं तोयस्य समुपस्थितान्

Transliteration

jaladānasya kāle ca sarpānsarvānuvāca saḥ | sarvānnāgānpradānārthaṃ toyasya samupasthitān

Translation

Et au moment de l’offrande d’eau (jaladāna), il s’adressa à toutes les serpents, à tous les Nāgas rassemblés afin de présenter l’eau.

Word by Word

• जलदानस्य: of the water-offering
• जलदानस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जलदान (प्रातिपदिक) [जल+दान]
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जलस्य दानम्) — Genitive singular, neuter

• काले: at the time
• काले: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• सर्पान्: serpents
• सर्पान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — Accusative plural

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — Accusative plural; विशेषणम् (qualifying सर्पान्)

• उवाच: said/spoke
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — 3rd person singular perfect

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular (pronoun)

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — Accusative plural; विशेषणम् (qualifying नागान्)

• नागान्: Nāgas/serpent-lords
• नागान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — Accusative plural

• प्रदानार्थम्: for the purpose of giving
• प्रदानार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदानार्थ (प्रातिपदिक) [प्रदान+अर्थ]
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular used adverbially; चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रदानस्य अर्थः)

• तोयस्य: of water
• तोयस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• समुपस्थितान्: assembled/present
• समुपस्थितान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+उप+स्था (धातु) → समुपस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — Accusative plural; विशेषणम् (qualifying नागान्)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Māhātmya style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (e.g., sages) (not explicit here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual moment at a tīrtha: a human officiant poised for jaladāna while a gathered host of nāgas—serpent-bodied, jewel-crested—assemble reverently to receive/participate in the water-offering.

Characters & Entities

• Nāgas
• serpents (sarpāḥ)
• jaladāna (water offering)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma after death includes orderly offerings and collective participation; ritual becomes a sacred channel for grief and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse does not name the specific tīrtha; it occurs within a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter where such rites gain special merit due to sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Jaladāna/toyapradāna—offering water, commonly associated with post-death rites and merit-making acts.