Shloka 7

The Account of the Fruits of Bathing at Particular Sacred Places

Tīrtha-viśeṣa-snāna-phala

Devanagari script

मेषप्रवेशार्ककाले कार्तिक्यां वापि मोहिनि । माघस्नानाधिकं प्राहुः कमलासनपूर्वकाः ॥ ७ ॥

Transliteration

meṣapraveśārkakāle kārtikyāṃ vāpi mohini | māghasnānādhikaṃ prāhuḥ kamalāsanapūrvakāḥ || 7 ||

Translation

ഹേ മോഹിനീ, കമലാസനനായ ബ്രഹ്മാദി ഋഷിമാർ പ്രസ്താവിക്കുന്നു—മാഘസ്നാനമാണ് ഏറ്റവും ശ്രേഷ്ഠം; സൂര്യൻ മേഷത്തിൽ പ്രവേശിക്കുന്ന സമയത്തായാലും, കാർത്തിക മാസത്തിലായാലും.

Word by Word

• meṣa-praveśa-arka-kāle: at the time when the sun enters Aries
• meṣa-praveśa-arka-kāle: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: meṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + praveśa (प्रातिपदिक) + arka (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (time of the sun’s entry into Aries)

• kārtikyām: in Kārtikī (Kārtika time)
• kārtikyām: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārtikī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; (कārtikī = Kārtika full-moon/seasonal observance; here locative time)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात

• mohini: O Mohinī (enchantress)
• mohini: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mohinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• māgha-snāna-adhikam: greater than the Māgha bath
• māgha-snāna-adhikam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: māgha (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक) + adhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम्/विशेष्यभावः (as predicate object: ‘more than Māgha-bath’); समासः तत्पुरुष

• prāhuḥ: they said/declare
• prāhuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√ah (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• kamala-āsana-pūrvakāḥ: those beginning with the Lotus-seated (Brahmā)
• kamala-āsana-pūrvakāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kamala (प्रातिपदिक) + āsana (प्रातिपदिक) + pūrvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहि (those whose predecessor/foremost is ‘lotus-seat’ i.e., Brahmā first—sages beginning with Brahmā)

Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada; vocative address 'Mohinī' appears within the instruction)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: Māgha-snāna

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Brahma (Kamalasana)
• Surya

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It ranks Māgha-snāna (ritual bathing in the Māgha season) as exceptionally meritorious, even when compared with other highly praised sacred times like Meṣa-saṅkrānti and the month of Kārttika.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

By elevating Māgha-snāna, the verse supports a bhakti-oriented sādhana where simple, time-honored observances—performed with faith and purity—become powerful aids to remembrance of the divine and pursuit of dharma.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Jyotiṣa (Vedic astronomy/astrology) is implied through the reference to the Sun’s entry into Meṣa (a saṅkrānti), showing how calendrical and solar transitions guide the timing and perceived potency of rituals.