Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

अपां समीपमासाद्य नित्यकर्म समाचरेत् । तत आचमनं कुर्याद्यथाविध्यनु पूर्वशः

Transliteration

apāṃ samīpamāsādya nityakarma samācaret | tata ācamanaṃ kuryādyathāvidhyanu pūrvaśaḥ

Translation

水のほとりに近づいて日々の行を修し、その後、定められた作法と順序に従ってアーチャマナ（ācamana）を行うべきである。

Word by Word

• apām: of water / water’s
• apām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ap (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (of water)

• samīpam: near (vicinity)
• samīpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samīpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; गत्यर्थे कर्म (towards vicinity)

• āsādya: having approached
• āsādya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā + sad (सद् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; पूर्वक्रिया (having approached)

• nitya-karmā: daily duty/rite
• nitya-karmā: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: नित्यं कर्म (daily rite)

• samācaret: should perform
• samācaret: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + ā + car (चर् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereafter)

• ācamanaṃ: sipping (ācamana)
• ācamanaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ācamana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• kuryāt: should do
• kuryāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• yathā-vidhi: according to the prescribed rule
• yathā-vidhi: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव; क्रियाविशेषण (according to rule)

• anu: in order / following
• anu: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुगमन/क्रमार्थक उपसर्गसदृश (in sequence/after)

• pūrvaśaḥ: in due order
• pūrvaśaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvaśas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (in the proper earlier order)

Speaker

Unspecified (Dharmāraṇyakhaṇḍa ritual instruction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Āpaḥ (water) as nitya-tīrtha

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A practitioner walking to a river/pond at dawn, carrying kamaṇḍalu, then performing ācamana with cupped hand; emphasis on clean water and orderly sequence.

Characters & Entities

• Ācamana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification and orderliness are essential: daily worship begins near water and proceeds by proper sequence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; water is treated as the ritual prerequisite.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go near water, perform nitya-karma, and then do ācamana according to prescribed order.