Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्नहनि राजेंद्र स संतारयते पितॄन् । तथा तीर्थं द्वितीयं तु शंखतीर्थमिति स्मृतम्

Transliteration

tasminnahani rājeṃdra sa saṃtārayate pitṝn | tathā tīrthaṃ dvitīyaṃ tu śaṃkhatīrthamiti smṛtam

Translation

En ce jour même, ô seigneur des rois, il délivre et élève ses ancêtres. Et le second tīrtha est mémorisé sous le nom de « Śaṅkha-tīrtha ».

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: on that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अहनि: day
• अहनि: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: राज्ञाम् इन्द्रः

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• संतारयते: causes to cross / delivers
• संतारयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative) + उपसर्ग: सम्

• पितॄन्: the ancestors
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन

• तथा: thus/also
• तथा: Sambandha/Connector (Linker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/उपक्रम (thus/also)

• तीर्थम्: a tīrtha
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• द्वितीयम्: second
• द्वितीयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वितीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक विशेषण

• तु: indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (Nipata/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधसूचक निपात (but/indeed)

• शंख-तीर्थम्: Śaṅkha-tīrtha
• शंख-तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject complement/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंख (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: शंखस्य तीर्थम्

• इति: thus (called)
• इति: Quotation marker (Avyaya)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/समाप्तिसूचक (quotative)

• स्मृतम्: is remembered/known
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: (1) Kūpikā (Gayā-sānnidhya) (2) Śaṅkha-tīrtha

Type: (1) kund (2) ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (Rājendra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee completes śrāddha; ethereal ancestors appear rising/blessed, indicating ‘tāraṇa’; the narrative then shifts to a second site marked by a conch (śaṅkha) emblem near water or shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Śrāddha
• Śaṅkha-tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and ancestral rites are linked: a well-performed śrāddha is portrayed as a direct act of rescue for one’s forebears.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaṅkha-tīrtha is explicitly named as the second principal tīrtha of the region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrāddha at the earlier-mentioned holy well on the specified day(s), yielding pitṛ-tāraṇa; then the text proceeds to name Śaṅkha-tīrtha.