Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

तावत्तिष्ठति देहेषु पातकं सर्वदेहिनाम् । यावन्न पौष्करैस्तोयैः स्नानं वै कुर्वते नराः

Transliteration

tāvattiṣṭhati deheṣu pātakaṃ sarvadehinām | yāvanna pauṣkaraistoyaiḥ snānaṃ vai kurvate narāḥ

Translation

Tant que les hommes ne se baignent pas véritablement dans les eaux sacrées de Puṣkara, le péché demeure dans le corps de tous les êtres incarnés.

Word by Word

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-बोधक-अव्यय (correlative adverb), ‘so long’

• तिष्ठति: remains
• तिष्ठति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देहेषु: in bodies
• देहेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• पातकम्: sin
• पातकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वदेहिनाम्: of all embodied beings
• सर्वदेहिनाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + देहिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (‘of all embodied beings’)

• यावत्: until/as long as
• यावत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-बोधक-अव्यय (relative adverb), ‘as long as/until’

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• पौष्करैः: Puṣkara-related
• पौष्करैः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पौष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying toyaiḥ)

• तोयैः: with waters
• तोयैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle), ‘indeed’

• कुर्वते: do/perform
• कुर्वते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• नराः: people/men
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (contextual attribution within Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic scene: dark, smoky aura representing pāpa clings to human figures; as they enter Puṣkara’s clear waters, the darkness dissolves, revealing luminous, calm bodies and faces.

Characters & Entities

• Puṣkara
• Puṣkara waters
• Snāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sin is depicted as a removable impurity; tīrtha-snān is presented as a direct means of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara’s sacred waters (pauṣkara-toya) as a pāpahara tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna using Puṣkara’s waters to dispel pātaka (sin).