Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

स्थावरेष्वपि संविश्य तन्न स्नानं विधीयते । न यत्र देवस्नानार्थं भक्तैः संगृह्यते जलम्

Transliteration

sthāvareṣvapi saṃviśya tanna snānaṃ vidhīyate | na yatra devasnānārthaṃ bhaktaiḥ saṃgṛhyate jalam

Translation

ನಿಂತ ನೀರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರವೇಶಿಸಿದರೂ ಅದು ವಿಧಿಯುಕ್ತ ಸ್ನಾನವಲ್ಲ—ವಿಶೇಷವಾಗಿ ಭಕ್ತರು ದೇವಸ್ನಾನಾರ್ಥವಾಗಿ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಿಸಿದ ಜಲವಿರುವ ಸ್ಥಳದಲ್ಲಿ.

Word by Word

• स्थावरेषु: in/among immobile beings
• स्थावरेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थावर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अप्यर्थक (also/even)

• संविश्य: having entered
• संविश्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विश् (धातु) उपसर्ग-सम्
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), 'सम्+विश्' = having entered

• तत्: then/therefore
• तत्: Avyaya (Discourse/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (discourse particle: then/therefore)

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Negation/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध (negation)

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विधीयते: is prescribed
• विधीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धा (धातु) उपसर्ग-वि
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive: is enjoined/ordained)

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Negation/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध (negation)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, सम्बन्ध/देशार्थक (relative adverb: where)

• देवस्नानार्थम्: for the bathing of the deity
• देवस्नानार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (purpose): 'देवस्य स्नानस्य अर्थम्' / 'देवस्नानस्य अर्थम्'

• भक्तैः: by devotees
• भक्तैः: Karana (Agent-in-passive/कर्ता-तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• संगृह्यते: is collected
• संगृह्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु) उपसर्ग-सम्
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive: is collected)

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Suhṛdaya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Temple devotees collect water in pots for deity-bathing; a teacher warns against entering the still reservoir; in the background, a shrine with liṅga or deity icon prepared for abhiṣeka.

Characters & Entities

• Suhṛdaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Respect for sacred resources: water reserved for divine worship should not be treated as ordinary bathing water.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named site; it reflects common temple/tīrtha practice concerning water reserved for deva-snāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not treat immersion in still waters as proper snāna when that water is collected for bathing the deity.