Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

प्रसंगतः स्नानविधिं प्रवक्ष्यामि नृपोत्तमाः । विधिस्नानं यतः प्राहुः स्नाना च्छतगुणोत्तरम्

Transliteration

prasaṃgataḥ snānavidhiṃ pravakṣyāmi nṛpottamāḥ | vidhisnānaṃ yataḥ prāhuḥ snānā cchataguṇottaram

Translation

പ്രസംഗവശാൽ, ഹേ നൃപോത്തമന്മാരേ, ഞാൻ സ്നാനവിധി പ്രസ്താവിക്കുന്നു; വിധിപൂർവ്വം ചെയ്ത സ്നാനം സാധാരണ സ്നാനത്തേക്കാൾ നൂറിരട്ടി ശ്രേഷ്ഠമെന്നു പറയുന്നു।

Word by Word

• प्रसंगतः: incidentally, in due course
• प्रसंगतः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रसङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण), तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb): 'प्रसङ्गतः' = 'प्रसङ्गेन/प्रसङ्गात्' (incidentally/occasionally)

• स्नानविधिम्: the procedure of bathing
• स्नानविधिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्नानस्य विधिः)

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I shall explain
• प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्कालः), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• नृपोत्तमाः: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (सम्बोधनार्थे प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (उत्तमाः नृपाः)

• विधिस्नानम्: ritual/proper bathing
• विधिस्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक) + स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (विधिना स्नानम् / विधेः स्नानम्)

• यतः: because, since
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध/हेतु-प्रदर्शक): 'यतः' = 'यस्मात् कारणात्' (because/for which reason)

• प्राहुः: they have said
• प्राहुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• स्नानात्: than bathing (from bathing)
• स्नानात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन

• शतगुणोत्तरम्: hundredfold superior
• शतगुणोत्तरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (शतगुणैः उत्तरम् = hundredfold superior)

Speaker

Deductive (contextual narrator addressing 'nṛpottamāḥ'—best of kings)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa-uttamāḥ (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal assembly in a forest hermitage setting: a sage-teacher begins to expound snāna-vidhi to attentive kings; ritual vessels, kuśa bundles, and a nearby waterbody suggest the forthcoming rite.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is strengthened by correct method: intention plus prescribed procedure amplifies spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is mentioned; the focus is on the correctness of the ritual method.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An announcement of teaching the formal bathing procedure (snāna-vidhi), asserting that rule-based bathing yields far greater merit.