Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तत्र चैत्रतृतीयायां कृते स्नाने भवेन्नरः । दिव्यरूपधरः साक्षात्कामोऽन्यो द्विजसत्तमाः

Transliteration

tatra caitratṛtīyāyāṃ kṛte snāne bhavennaraḥ | divyarūpadharaḥ sākṣātkāmo'nyo dvijasattamāḥ

Translation

हे द्विजसत्तमो! वहाँ चैत्र शुक्ल तृतीया को स्नान करने से मनुष्य दिव्य रूप धारण करता है—मानो साक्षात् दूसरा कामदेव हो।

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), देशवाचक

• caitra-tṛtīyāyām: on the third (lunar day) of Caitra
• caitra-tṛtīyāyām: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caitra (प्रातिपदिक) + tṛtīyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (caitre māsi tṛtīyā)

• kṛte: when performed
• kṛte: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘when (it is) done’—सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध (locative absolute)

• snāne: in bathing (ritual bath)
• snāne: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘kṛte’ इत्यनेन सह सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध

• bhavet: would become
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• divya-rūpa-dharaḥ: bearing a divine form
• divya-rūpa-dharaḥ: Karya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (divyaṃ rūpaṃ dharati)

• sākṣāt: directly
• sākṣāt: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), अर्थः—‘directly/in person’

• kāmaḥ: Kāma (the god of love)
• kāmaḥ: Karya (Predicate nominative/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• anyaḥ: another
• anyaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘kāmaḥ’

• dvija-sattamāḥ: O best of the twice-born
• dvija-sattamāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (Vocative), बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (dvijānāṃ sattamāḥ)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśvāmitra-kuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattamāḥ (best among Brahmins)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim bathes at dawn on Caitra-tṛtīyā; the water glows; the bather emerges radiant, with a subtle aura suggesting ‘another Kāma’—beauty and charm transfigured by sacred waters.

Characters & Entities

• Caitra-tṛtīyā
• Kāma
• Viśvāmitra-kuṇḍa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy times (tithi) combined with holy places (tīrtha) amplify merit, refining the devotee’s presence and auspiciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same Viśvāmitra-origin sacred pool introduced in the preceding verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) on Caitra śukla/kr̥ṣṇa tṛtīyā (Caitra-tṛtīyā) at the tīrtha.