Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

नश्यंति तत्क्षणादेव न जाने स्नानजं फलम् । तत्र गत्वा तव ज्येष्ठो यदि स्नायान्महत्तरे

Transliteration

naśyaṃti tatkṣaṇādeva na jāne snānajaṃ phalam | tatra gatvā tava jyeṣṭho yadi snāyānmahattare

Translation

അവ അതേ ക്ഷണത്തിൽ തന്നെ നശിക്കുന്നു; അവിടെ സ്നാനത്തിൽ നിന്നുള്ള ഫലം ഞാൻ അളക്കാൻ കഴിയില്ല. നിന്റെ ജ്യേഷ്ഠൻ അവിടെ ചെന്നു ആ മഹത്തായ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ…

Word by Word

• नश्यन्ति: perish; are destroyed
• नश्यन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्क्षणात्: from that very moment; immediately
• तत्क्षणात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; तत् क्षणः इति कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषभावः, अर्थतः ‘तस्मिन् क्षणे/तत्क्षणात्’ = immediately

• एव: just; indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• जाने: I know
• जाने: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; ‘I know’

• स्नानजम्: born of bathing; resulting from a bath
• स्नानजम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्नान + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; स्नानात् जातम् इति पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुषः; फलम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• फलम्: fruit; result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) अव्ययभाव; ‘having gone’

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; ‘your’

• ज्येष्ठः: the elder (brother)
• ज्येष्ठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्येष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘elder (brother)’

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक (conditional particle)

• स्नायात्: should bathe
• स्नायात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधि), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महत्तरे: in the very great (tīrtha)
• महत्तरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तीर्थे इति अध्याहारः (in the very great [tīrtha])

Speaker

Vidyādhara-kulādhipa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahattara tīrtha (unnamed) near Cakratīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the shore-tīrtha, the speaker stresses that sins vanish instantly and the bathing fruit is beyond measure; the scene anticipates a cursed being’s redemption through snāna.

Characters & Entities

• Cakratīrtha (context)
• Mahattara Tīrtha
• Elder brother (cursed)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is intensified in tīrthas: bathing (snāna) is portrayed as yielding immeasurable merit and swift cleansing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The “mahattara” tīrtha near Cakratīrtha on the southern ocean shore within Setukhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at the supremely great tīrtha is prescribed as the effective act.