Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

एतद्वीक्ष्य नरो ह्यत्र स्नानं कुर्याज्जलाशये । श्रद्धया परया युक्तः स गच्छति परां गतिम्

Transliteration

etadvīkṣya naro hyatra snānaṃ kuryājjalāśaye | śraddhayā parayā yuktaḥ sa gacchati parāṃ gatim

Translation

Ayant contemplé cela, l’homme doit se baigner ici dans le réservoir. Doué d’une foi suprême, il atteint l’état le plus élevé.

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vīkṣya: having seen
• vīkṣya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + īkṣ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); √ईक्ष् (दर्शने) उपसर्गः वि

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• atra: here
• atra: Deśa-adhikarana (Place/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: 'here')

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• kuryāt: should do
• kuryāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम; √कृ (करणे)

• jalāśaye: in a reservoir of water
• jalāśaye: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक) + āśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जलस्य आशयः)

• śraddhayā: with faith
• śraddhayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śraddhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• parayā: supreme/great
• parayā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; विशेषण (श्रद्धया सह)

• yuktaḥ: endowed (with)
• yuktaḥ: Karta (Subject attribute/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yuj (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle, adjectival); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; √युज् (योगे)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• gacchati: goes/attains
• gacchati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम; √गम् (गत्यर्थ)

• parām: supreme
• parām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (गतिम्)

• gatim: state/goal
• gatim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara-jalāśaya

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: the king; also generalized to ‘naraḥ’ (any pilgrim)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee, having seen the wondrous lotus, steps into Puṣkara’s waters with folded hands and focused faith; the lake glows with sanctity, suggesting ascent toward a ‘higher state’.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Puṣkara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha practice bears fruit when joined with śraddhā; sacred vision (darśana) and bathing (snāna) are means toward liberation-oriented merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara’s lake/reservoir (jalāśaya) is the implied bathing place in this instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna in the jalāśaya after beholding the sacred manifestation, with supreme faith (parā śraddhā).