Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

संसिद्धिमाप्नुयान्मर्त्यो दुर्लभां त्रिदशैरपि । माघमासे नरः स्नात्वा विश्वामित्रह्रदे नरः

Transliteration

saṃsiddhimāpnuyānmartyo durlabhāṃ tridaśairapi | māghamāse naraḥ snātvā viśvāmitrahrade naraḥ

Translation

Un mortel obtient l’accomplissement parfait—rare même pour les dieux—lorsque, au mois de Māgha, il se baigne dans le lac de Viśvāmitra.

Word by Word

• संसिद्धिम्: complete success; perfection
• संसिद्धिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (feminine, accusative, singular)

• आप्नुयात्: would attain
• आप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (optative, 3rd person, singular)

• मर्त्यः: a mortal
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine, nominative, singular)

• दुर्लभाम्: rare; hard to obtain
• दुर्लभाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (feminine, accusative, singular; qualifying संसिद्धिम्)

• त्रिदशैः: by the gods (thirty)
• त्रिदशैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिदश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (masculine, instrumental, plural)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha/Avyaya (Modifier/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक (indeclinable particle: even/also)

• माघमासे: in the month of Māgha
• माघमासे: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माघमास (प्रातिपदिक: माघ + मास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine, locative, singular)

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

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त/gerund), पूर्वकाल (having done)

• विश्वामित्रह्रदे: in Viśvāmitra’s lake
• विश्वामित्रह्रदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वामित्र-ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक: विश्वामित्र + ह्रद)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine, locative, singular)

• नरः: the man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine, nominative, singular; पुनरुक्ति/emphasis)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuity)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśvāmitra-hrada

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at a serene lake named for Viśvāmitra; dawn light in Māgha, mist over water; a subtle vision of the sage Viśvāmitra in the background (austere, with kamaṇḍalu), blessing the bathers.

Characters & Entities

• Māgha (month)
• Viśvāmitra-hrada
• Tridaśas (gods)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time (Māgha) and place (a named tīrtha) together intensify merit; sacred bathing is portrayed as a powerful purifier and fulfiller.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viśvāmitra-hrada (the lake associated with sage Viśvāmitra).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Māgha-māsa snāna—bathing during the month of Māgha at Viśvāmitra’s lake.