Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

स्नानं दशविधं कार्यं विष्णुनाम महाफलम् । सुप्ते देवे विशेषेण नरो देवत्वमाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

snānaṃ daśavidhaṃ kāryaṃ viṣṇunāma mahāphalam | supte deve viśeṣeṇa naro devatvamāpnuyāt

Translation

Qu’on accomplisse le bain sacré selon les dix modes prescrits, en récitant les Noms de Viṣṇu : il en naît un grand fruit ; et surtout lorsque le Seigneur demeure dans le sommeil divin, l’homme peut atteindre un état semblable à celui des dieux.

Word by Word

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• दशविधम्: tenfold / of ten kinds
• दशविधम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश (प्रातिपदिक) + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; द्विगु-समासः (दश प्रकाराः यस्य)

• कार्यम्: to be performed
• कार्यम्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कार्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विधेय-विशेषणम्, ‘to be done’ (gerundive/ण्यम्)

• विष्णुनाम: the name of Viṣṇu
• विष्णुनाम: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः = विष्णोः नाम (name of Viṣṇu)

• महाफलम्: greatly fruitful
• महाफलम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः = महत् फलम् (great in fruit)

• सुप्ते: when (he) is asleep
• सुप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वप् (धातु) → सुप्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; भूतकृदन्तः (क्त), ‘when (he) is asleep’

• देवे: when the god (is asleep)
• देवे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘सुप्ते देवे’ = सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम्; करणार्थे तृतीया-रूपेण प्रयुक्तम् (adverbial instrumental: especially)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• देवत्वम्: divinity
• देवत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• आप्नुयात्: may attain
• आप्नुयात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cāturmāsya-snānā with Viṣṇu-nāma (daśavidha)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined devotee performs a structured bathing rite at dawn during monsoon months: repeated immersions/sprinklings while chanting Viṣṇu’s names; above, Viṣṇu reclines in yogic sleep (śayana) on Śeṣa, indicating the sacred season.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu-nāma (names of Viṣṇu)
• Divine sleep (Deva-śayana)
• Snāna (tenfold)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual purity becomes spiritually transformative when joined to nāma-japa and observed in sacred seasons.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site; the focus is on Cāturmāsya/Deva-śayana time-power and Viṣṇu-centered practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform ‘tenfold’ bathing (daśavidha snāna) while reciting/remembering Viṣṇu’s names, especially during Deva-śayana.