Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

स्नानार्थमत्रागच्छंति देवताः पितरस्तथा । कार्त्तिक्यां कृत्तिकायोगे मुक्तेशं पूजयेत्तु यः

Transliteration

snānārthamatrāgacchaṃti devatāḥ pitarastathā | kārttikyāṃ kṛttikāyoge mukteśaṃ pūjayettu yaḥ

Translation

ഇവിടെ സ്നാനാർത്ഥമായി ദേവന്മാരും പിതൃഗണങ്ങളും കൂടി വരുന്നു. കാർത്തികമാസത്തിൽ കൃത്തികാ-യോഗസമയത്ത് മുക്തേശനെ പൂജിക്കുന്നവൻ ഈ തീർത്ഥത്തിന്റെ വിശേഷപുണ്യത്തിന് അർഹനാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• स्नानार्थम्: for the purpose of bathing
• स्नानार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्नानस्य अर्थः)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• आगच्छन्ति: come
• आगच्छन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) उपसर्गः आ-
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• देवताः: deities
• देवताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पितरः: ancestors
• पितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (पितृ-शब्दः)

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connective/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/तुल्यतावाचक (also/likewise)

• कार्त्तिक्याम्: in (the month of) Kārttika
• कार्त्तिक्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्त्तिकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (कालवाचक)

• कृत्तिकायोगे: at the conjunction with Kṛttikā (nakṣatra)
• कृत्तिकायोगे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्तिका (प्रातिपदिक) + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कृत्तिकायाः योगः)

• मुक्तेशम्: Mukteśa (Lord of liberation)
• मुक्तेशम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्त (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समासः (मुक्तानाम् ईशः)

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधसूचक-निपात (but/indeed)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-यः (relative pronoun)

Speaker

Unknown (Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa narrative voice; likely a Purāṇic narrator addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devasaras (with Mukteśa)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forested tīrtha with a luminous saras; devas descending to bathe, pitṛs receiving offerings; a shrine of Mukteśa under sacred trees; pilgrims worship during Kārttika with lamps and flowers.

Characters & Entities

• Devatāḥ
• Pitṛs
• Kārttika (month)
• Kṛttikā (nakṣatra)
• Mukteśa (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha becomes exceptionally potent at specific sacred times; worship of Mukteśa in Kārttika is presented as a direct means to heightened purity and liberation-oriented merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage praises the Devasaras (divine lake) within Dharmāraṇya, connected with Mukteśa/Mokṣeśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna (holy bathing) here, and worship Mukteśa specifically during Kārttika when Kṛttikā nakṣatra is present.