Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । कार्तिक्यां कृत्तिकायोगे यदा गच्छति चंद्रमाः । तदा निष्क्रामति श्रेष्ठं कमलं जलमध्यतः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | kārtikyāṃ kṛttikāyoge yadā gacchati caṃdramāḥ | tadā niṣkrāmati śreṣṭhaṃ kamalaṃ jalamadhyataḥ

Translation

Sūta dit : «Au mois de Kārttika, lorsque survient la conjonction de Kṛttikā et que la Lune entre dans cette configuration, alors un lotus des plus excellents surgit du milieu des eaux».

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• कार्तिक्याम्: in Kārttika
• कार्तिक्याम्: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्तिकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Locative singular (time)

• कृत्तिकायोगे: at the Kṛttikā conjunction
• कृत्तिकायोगे: Adhikarana (Time/occasion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्तिका + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Locative singular

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Time-link)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक-सम्बन्ध) = temporal conjunction ‘when’

• गच्छति: goes/moves
• गच्छति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• चन्द्रमाः: the moon
• चन्द्रमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्रमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Nominative singular

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Time-link)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) = adverb ‘then’

• निष्क्रामति: comes out/emerges
• निष्क्रामति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निस् + √क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• श्रेष्ठम्: excellent
• श्रेष्ठम्: Karma (Object attribute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Accusative singular; विशेषणम्

• कमलम्: lotus
• कमलम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कमल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Accusative singular

• जलमध्यतः: from the middle of the water
• जलमध्यतः: Apadana (Source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जल + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित-अव्ययीभावार्थ)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त) = ablatival adverb ‘from’; आधार: तत्पुरुष-समास (जलस्य मध्यः) + तस्

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jyeṣṭha Puṣkara

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (inquirers)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Under a bright moon aligned with Kṛttikā, the lake’s surface parts and a radiant lotus rises from the center, petals unfolding with an otherworldly glow as onlookers watch in awe from the ghāṭ.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Kārttika
• Kṛttikā
• Candra (Moon)
• Jyeṣṭha Puṣkara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine signs in tīrthas arise at auspicious times, showing the harmony of cosmos (Moon/nakṣatra) and sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jyeṣṭha Puṣkara, where the lotus-sign is said to emerge.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance of Kārttika and the Kṛttikā-yoga as the time when the tīrtha’s sign becomes visible.