Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

ततस्तं मस्तके कृत्वा सर्वतीर्थे यथासुखम् । सर्वक्षेत्रेषु बभ्राम स्नापयन्ती निजं पतिम्

Transliteration

tatastaṃ mastake kṛtvā sarvatīrthe yathāsukham | sarvakṣetreṣu babhrāma snāpayantī nijaṃ patim

Translation

បន្ទាប់មក នាងដាក់ព្រះស្វាមីនោះលើក្បាលរបស់នាង ហើយដើរលំហែតាមទីរថៈទាំងអស់ និងក្សេត្របរិសុទ្ធទាំងឡាយ ដោយងូតស្វាមីរបស់នាងនៅគ្រប់ទីសក្ការៈ។

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रम/कालवाचक)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मस्तके: on (her) head
• मस्तके: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मस्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having placed/made
• कृत्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• सर्वतीर्थे: at every sacred ford
• सर्वतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (सर्वं तीर्थम्)

• यथासुखम्: as comfortably as (possible)
• यथासुखम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा + सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = यथासुखम् ‘as comfortably as possible’

• सर्वक्षेत्रेषु: in all holy places
• सर्वक्षेत्रेषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः

• बभ्राम: wandered; went about
• बभ्राम: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• स्नापयन्ती: bathing (him)
• स्नापयन्ती: Karta (Agent participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्-समकक्ष), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; णिजन्त ‘स्नापय’ = ‘to bathe (someone)’

• निजम्: her own
• निजम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पतिम्)

• पतिम्: husband
• पतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (narrative continuation; speaker not explicit in verse but in-context narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarva-tīrtha (collective)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The wife carries the bamboo hut on her head with her husband inside, journeying from one sacred riverbank and temple to another, bathing him at each tīrtha.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage becomes complete when joined with compassionate service—one person’s devotion can uplift another into sacred practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse generalizes to “all tīrthas” and “all kṣetras,” celebrating the whole sacred landscape rather than naming a single site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Repeated tīrtha-snān (bathing at sacred places) as a pilgrimage discipline.