Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

मार्गकृष्णचतुर्दश्यां तत्र स्नानं विशेषतः । सर्वपापहरं देवि सर्वदा स्नायिनां नृणाम्

Transliteration

mārgakṛṣṇacaturdaśyāṃ tatra snānaṃ viśeṣataḥ | sarvapāpaharaṃ devi sarvadā snāyināṃ nṛṇām

Translation

Au quatorzième jour lunaire (caturdaśī) de la quinzaine sombre de Mārgaśīrṣa, le bain en ce lieu est tout particulièrement efficace. Ô Déesse, pour ceux qui s’y baignent, il enlève toujours tous les péchés.

Word by Word

• mārga-kṛṣṇa-caturdaśyām: on the 14th (tithi) of the dark fortnight of Mārgaśīrṣa
• mārga-kṛṣṇa-caturdaśyām: Adhikarana (Time locus/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārga + kṛṣṇa + caturdaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (मास-विशेषणेन पक्ष-विशेषणेन तिथि-निर्देशः)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/प्रसङ्गवाचक (there)

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/विशेषणार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• sarva-pāpa-haram: removing all sins
• sarva-pāpa-haram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + pāpa + hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (पापं हरति इति); विशेषणम् (स्नानम्)

• devi: O goddess (lady)
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/संबोधन), एकवचन

• sarvadā: always
• sarvadā: Kala (Time adjunct/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (always)

• snāyinām: of bathers
• snāyinām: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāyin (प्रातिपदिक; √snā + इन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; कर्तृवाचक-नाम (agent noun)

• nṛṇām: of men
• nṛṇām: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

Speaker

Śrī Rāma

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sītākuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as ‘devi’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at a lotus-edged kuṇḍa in Ayodhyā at dusk of kṛṣṇa-caturdaśī; lamps on the water, priests chanting, devotees entering the steps for snāna.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Sītā
• Sītākuṇḍa
• Mārgaśīrṣa (Mārga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time (tithi/month) amplifies sacred place, making tīrtha practice especially potent on prescribed days.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sītākuṇḍa, praised for its sin-destroying bath.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna at Sītākuṇḍa, especially on Mārgaśīrṣa kṛṣṇa caturdaśī (dark-fortnight 14th).