Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

य एवं कुरुते विप्रास्तीर्थ आनर्त संज्ञिते । सोऽश्वमेधफलं प्राप्यब्रह्मलोके महीयते

Transliteration

ya evaṃ kurute viprāstīrtha ānarta saṃjñite | so'śvamedhaphalaṃ prāpyabrahmaloke mahīyate

Translation

ഹേ വിപ്രന്മാരേ! ‘ആനർത്ത’ എന്നു വിളിക്കപ്പെടുന്ന തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ ഇങ്ങനെ ആചരിക്കുന്നവൻ അശ്വമേധയാഗഫലം പ്രാപിച്ച് ബ്രഹ്മലോകത്തിൽ ആദരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു।

Word by Word

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

• एवम्: thus/in this manner
• एवम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — प्रकारे

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• विप्राः: O Brahmins
• विप्राः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), बहुवचन

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• आनर्तसंज्ञिते: called ‘Ānarta’
• आनर्तसंज्ञिते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आनर्त (प्रातिपदिक) + संज्ञित (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘आनर्त’ इति संज्ञा यस्य तत् — ‘called Ānarta’ (locative agreeing with तीर्थे)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अश्वमेधफलम्: the fruit of the Aśvamedha sacrifice
• अश्वमेधफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘अश्वमेधस्य फलम्’

• प्राप्य: having obtained
• प्राप्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) → प्राप्य (कृदन्त/ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund) — ‘प्राप्य’ = ‘having obtained’

• ब्रह्मलोके: in Brahmaloka
• ब्रह्मलोके: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘ब्रह्मणः लोकः’

• महीयते: is honored/glorified
• महीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम् (passive/intransitive sense)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ānarta-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (viprāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A concluding phala-śruti tableau: pilgrims performing the rites at Ānarta-tīrtha; above them, a symbolic Aśvamedha horse and sacrificial paraphernalia appear as a metaphoric overlay; in the upper register, Brahmaloka with Brahmā’s golden city where the devotee is honored.

Characters & Entities

• Ānarta Tīrtha
• Aśvamedha
• Brahmaloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Properly performed tīrtha-observances can confer merits traditionally associated with grand Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha explicitly named here: Ānarta Tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing the previously described sequence of rites (snāna, tarpaṇa, śrāddha, dīpa-dāna, worship, and dāna) at Ānarta Tīrtha.