Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 159

Devanagari script

स्वस्थं च हृदयं कृत्वा सस्नौ तत्सरसि ध्रुवम् । तथैव जलमानीय बिल्वपत्त्रं त्वरान्वितः

Transliteration

svasthaṃ ca hṛdayaṃ kṛtvā sasnau tatsarasi dhruvam | tathaiva jalamānīya bilvapattraṃ tvarānvitaḥ

Translation

പിന്നീട് ഹൃദയം സ്ഥിരമാക്കി അവൻ ഉറപ്പോടെ ആ സരസ്സിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്തു; അതുപോലെ തന്നെ വേഗത്തിൽ ജലവും ബിൽവപത്രങ്ങളും കൊണ്ടുവന്നു।

Word by Word

• स्वस्थम्: calm/steady
• स्वस्थम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘hṛdayam’)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction: and)

• हृदयम्: heart/mind
• हृदयम्: Karma (Object of ‘kṛtvā’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund/absolutive); (having made)

• सस्नौ: he bathed
• सस्नौ: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘sarasi’)

• सरसि: in the lake
• सरसि: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक (adverb: certainly)

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus/in that manner)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipāta (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (just/indeed)

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karma (Object of ‘ānīya’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• आनीय: having brought
• आनीय: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund/absolutive); ‘आ’-उपसर्ग; (having brought)

• बिल्व-पत्त्रम्: bilva leaf
• बिल्व-पत्त्रम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिल्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पत्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (bilvasya pattram)

• त्वरा-अन्वितः: endowed with haste
• त्वरा-अन्वितः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वरा (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्वित (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे (tvarayā anvitaḥ / tvarāyāḥ anvitaḥ); विशेषणम् (qualifying the doer)

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa) describing the devotee’s worship-preparation

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra-kṣetra (sacred saras within)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Kirāta, now composed, bathes in a clear mountain lake; he then hastens to fetch water and fresh bilva leaves, preparing for Śiva worship.

Characters & Entities

• Kirāta
• Bilva (as offering to Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner composure (steady heart) and outer purity (tīrtha-snān) together prepare the devotee for fruitful worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sacred lake/tīrtha associated with Kedāra, where bathing is portrayed as part of approaching Śiva.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīrtha-snān (bathing) and collecting water and bilva leaves for Śiva worship are explicitly indicated.