Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

स्नाताः स्वलंकृताश्चन्द्रपत्न्यस्ता विरजांबराः । ऊचुस्ता योजितकरा केऽयं पुत्राय गम्यते

Transliteration

snātāḥ svalaṃkṛtāścandrapatnyastā virajāṃbarāḥ | ūcustā yojitakarā ke'yaṃ putrāya gamyate

Translation

Après s’être baignées, parées avec grâce et vêtues d’habits sans tache, les épouses de la Lune dirent, les mains jointes en vénération : «Qui est donc celui qu’on conduit vers notre fils ?»

Word by Word

• स्नाताः: bathed
• स्नाताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), प्रथमा, बहुवचन, स्त्रीलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे) — Past passive participle used adjectivally; nominative plural feminine (agreeing with ताः)

• स्वलंकृताः: well-adorned
• स्वलंकृताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + अलंकृत (अलङ्कृ धातु से क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), प्रथमा, बहुवचन, स्त्रीलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे) — Adjectival PPP; nominative plural feminine

• चन्द्रपत्न्यः: the wives of the Moon
• चन्द्रपत्न्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र + पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Plural; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (चन्द्रस्य पत्न्यः)

• ताः: they
• ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Plural (pronoun)

• विरजांबराः: wearing spotless garments
• विरजांबराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विरज + अम्बर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Plural; कर्मधारय (विरजम् अम्बरं यस्याः/यासाम्) ‘having spotless garments’

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्ष-भूत/परफेक्ट), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन — Perfect, active, 3rd person plural

• ताः: they
• ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Plural (reiterated subject)

• योजितकराः: with hands joined (in reverence)
• योजितकराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: योजित (युज् धातु से क्त) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Plural; समासः कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (योजिताः कराः यासाम्) ‘with joined hands’

• के: who (are)
• के: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural (interrogative)

• अयम्: this (person)
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular (demonstrative)

• पुत्राय: for (our) son
• पुत्राय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन — Masculine, Dative, Singular

• गम्यते: is being taken / is going
• गम्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन — Present passive, 3rd person singular

Speaker

The Six Kṛttikās (identified here as candra-patnyas, ‘wives of the Moon’)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devanadī-tīra / Śaravaṇa vicinity (Kṛttikā-darśana zone)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Six radiant women stand together after bathing, adorned yet modest, in spotless white garments. With hands joined, they speak in unison, faces showing reverence and curiosity, as a divine presence approaches in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Candra (Moon)
• Candra-patnyas
• Ṣaṭkṛttikāḥ
• Pārvatī (implied as ‘this’)
• their son (Skanda/Kārttikeya—implied by Śaravaṇa/Kṛttikā context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity (snāna), reverence (añjali), and humility frame divine encounters; the tīrtha becomes a meeting-place of celestial and human-like devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Śaravaṇa grove region by the Devanadī, associated with the Kṛttikās and (by implication) Skanda/Kārttikeya traditions.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied ritual purity: bathing (snāta) and wearing clean garments (virajāṃbara) as proper conduct in a sacred setting.