Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

तत्र स्नानं च दानं च चन्द्रहास्ये शुभशुभम् । कृतं नृपवरश्रेष्ठ सर्वं भवति चाक्षयम्

Transliteration

tatra snānaṃ ca dānaṃ ca candrahāsye śubhaśubham | kṛtaṃ nṛpavaraśreṣṭha sarvaṃ bhavati cākṣayam

Translation

ഹേ നൃപശ്രേഷ്ഠാ, ചന്ദ്രഹാസ്യത്തിൽ സ്നാനവും ദാനവും ചെയ്ത് എന്തു ചെയ്താലും—ശുഭമോ അശുഭമോ—അതിന്റെ ഫലം പൂർണ്ണമായി അക്ഷയമാകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम्

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः (conjunction)

• दानम्: giving, donation
• दानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः (conjunction)

• चन्द्रहास्ये: at Candrahāsya
• चन्द्रहास्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्रहास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्; अधिकरण

• शुभाशुभम्: auspicious and inauspicious (both)
• शुभाशुभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ + अशुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्वसमासः (शुभं च अशुभं च); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; अत्र प्रथमा (predicate adjective)

• कृतम्: done, performed
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तम् (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; 'स्नानदानयोः' विशेषणम्

• नृपवरश्रेष्ठ: O best of excellent kings
• नृपवरश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + वर + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमासः (नृपाणां वरः श्रेष्ठः); पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; समस्तफलवाचि

• भवति: becomes
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः (conjunction)

• अक्षयम्: imperishable, inexhaustible
• अक्षयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; विधेयविशेषणम् (predicate adjective)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate continuation into Adhyāya 191: “śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca”)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Candrahāsya

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpavara)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the tīrtha bank, a kingly donor offers gifts to brāhmaṇas after bathing; a symbolic ‘endless’ stream of light rises from the water and gifts, signifying akṣaya results.

Characters & Entities

• Candrahāsya
• Tīrtha
• Narmadā (implied by section context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions connected with a powerful tīrtha gain enduring (akṣaya) spiritual consequence, emphasizing faith, place-sanctity, and dharmic conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Candrahāsya-tīrtha, praised within the Revā-khaṇḍa (Narmadā sacred landscape).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (sacred bathing) and dāna (charitable giving) at Candrahāsya.