Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

। श्रीसूत उवाच । लक्ष्मीतीर्थे शुभे पुंसां सर्वैश्वर्यैककारणे । स्नात्वा नरस्ततो गच्छेदग्नितीर्थं द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

| śrīsūta uvāca | lakṣmītīrthe śubhe puṃsāṃ sarvaiśvaryaikakāraṇe | snātvā narastato gacchedagnitīrthaṃ dvijottamāḥ

Translation

ശ്രീസൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ദ്വിജോത്തമന്മാരേ, മനുഷ്യർക്കു സർവ ഐശ്വര്യത്തിന്റെയും ഏക കാരണമായ ശുഭ ലക്ഷ്മീതീർത്ഥത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത്, പിന്നെ മനുഷ്യൻ അഗ്നിതീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം.

Word by Word

• śrī-sūtaḥ: the venerable Sūta
• śrī-sūtaḥ: Karta (Speaker)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (श्रीमान् सूतः)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• lakṣmī-tīrthe: at Lakṣmī-tīrtha
• lakṣmī-tīrthe: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (लक्ष्म्याः तीर्थे)

• śubhe: auspicious
• śubhe: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (तīrthe इति विशेष्ये)

• puṃsām: for men; of men
• puṃsām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: pumān (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• sarvaiśvarya-eka-kāraṇe: in (that which is) the sole cause of all prosperity
• sarvaiśvarya-eka-kāraṇe: Adhikaraṇa (Locative; describing the place)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + aiśvarya (प्रातिपदिक) + eka (प्रातिपदिक) + kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (सर्वैश्वर्यस्य एकं कारणम्) → ‘सर्वैश्वर्यैककारण’

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: snā (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया ‘स्नात्वा’ = having bathed

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tataḥ: then; from there
• tataḥ: Apādāna/Sequence (Source/then)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/ततः इति अपादान/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (from there/then)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• agni-tīrtham: to Agni-tīrtha
• agni-tīrtham: Karma (Object/destination)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अग्नेः तीर्थम्)

• dvija-uttamāḥ: O best of the twice-born
• dvija-uttamāḥ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय; संबोधनार्थे प्रथमा (हे द्विजोत्तमाः)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lakṣmītīrtha; Agnitīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijoत्तamāḥ (best of twice-born)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates as pilgrims complete snāna at Lakṣmītīrtha and set out along the shore toward Agnitīrtha; the path is marked by flags and small shrines, with dawn light over the sea.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Lakṣmītīrtha
• Agnitīrtha
• Dvijottamāḥ (sages/brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is taught as a disciplined progression: purifying snāna at one tīrtha followed by onward movement to the next sanctified site.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Lakṣmītīrtha (as the source of prosperity) and Agnitīrtha (as the next destination).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna (ritual bathing) at Lakṣmītīrtha, then go to Agnitīrtha.