Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

कार्त्तिकस्य चतुर्दश्यामष्टम्यां च विशेषतः । स्नापयेद्गिरिजानाथं दधिदुग्धेन सर्पिषा

Transliteration

kārttikasya caturdaśyāmaṣṭamyāṃ ca viśeṣataḥ | snāpayedgirijānāthaṃ dadhidugdhena sarpiṣā

Translation

કાર્તિક માસની ચતુર્દશી તથા વિશેષ કરીને અષ્ટમીના દિવસે દહીં, દૂધ અને ઘીથી ગિરિજાનાથ (શિવ)નું સ્નાન/અભિષેક કરવો જોઈએ.

Word by Word

• कार्त्तिकस्य: of (the month) Kārttika
• कार्त्तिकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्त्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — ‘of Kārttika (month)’

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन — ‘on the fourteenth (tithi)’

• अष्टम्याम्: on the eighth lunar day
• अष्टम्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन — ‘on the eighth (tithi)’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• स्नापयेत्: should bathe (cause to be bathed)
• स्नापयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद — ‘should cause to bathe’

• गिरिजानाथम्: the Lord of Girijā (Śiva)
• गिरिजानाथम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरिजा + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक); ‘गिरिजायाः नाथः’
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — कर्मपद

• दधिदुग्धेन: with curd and milk
• दधिदुग्धेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दधि + दुग्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — ‘with curd-and-milk’

• सर्पिषा: with ghee
• सर्पिषा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्पिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — ‘with ghee’

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (context: Purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kumāreśvara / Girijānātha tīrtha (as implied by adjoining verses)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍunandana (a Pāṇḍava/royal addressee)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Śaiva shrine at a riverine tīrtha in Kārttika season: priests pour curd, milk, and ghee in abhiṣeka over a liṅga titled Girijānātha; lamps glow, pilgrims stand with folded hands, Narmadā-like waters nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Kārttika (month)
• Girijānātha (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kārttika is exalted as a powerful time for Śiva-bhakti, where ritual worship becomes especially meritorious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse gives a ritual for the tīrtha context of Revā Khaṇḍa; the worship is directed to Girijānātha at/through the local shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Abhiṣeka (snāpana) of Śiva with dadhi (curd), dugdha (milk), and sarpis (ghee), particularly on Kārttika aṣṭamī and caturdaśī.