Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

तस्मात्त्वमपि राजेंद्र तत्र स्नानं समाचर । चैत्रे शुक्लचतुर्दश्यां चित्रासंस्थे निशाकरे

Transliteration

tasmāttvamapi rājeṃdra tatra snānaṃ samācara | caitre śuklacaturdaśyāṃ citrāsaṃsthe niśākare

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട്, ഹേ രാജേന്ദ്രാ! നീയും അവിടെ സ്നാനം ആചരിക്ക—ചൈത്ര മാസത്തിലെ ശുക്ല ചതുര്ദശിയിൽ, ചന്ദ്രൻ ചിത്രാ നക്ഷത്രത്തിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുമ്പോൾ।

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Sambandha (Inference/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावप्राय/निपातवत् प्रयोगः; पञ्चमी-रूपेण हेत्वर्थे (therefore)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक (also/even)

• राजेन्द्र: O lord of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: राज्ञाम् इन्द्रः

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (locative adverb: there)

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• समाचर: perform; undertake
• समाचर: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + चर् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• चैत्रे: in (the month of) Caitra
• चैत्रे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (मास-नाम), सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• शुक्ल-चतुर्दश्याम्: on the bright fortnight’s fourteenth (tithi)
• शुक्ल-चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक्ल (प्रातिपदिक) + चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: शुक्लपक्षस्य चतुर्दशी

• चित्रा-संस्थे: when (the moon) is situated in Citrā
• चित्रा-संस्थे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्रा (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्थ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (‘निशाकरे’); तत्पुरुषः: चित्रायां संस्थः (located in Citrā nakṣatra)

• निशाकरे: when the moon (night-maker) is (so)
• निशाकरे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशाकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘moon’

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Candrāṅka-tīrtha

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The king (rājendra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brāhmaṇas instruct the king to bathe at the tīrtha on Caitra śukla caturdaśī; the night sky shows the Moon associated with Citrā, suggesting a star-marked lunar disc above the riverbank.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Caitra (month)
• Śukla Caturdaśī
• Citrā (nakṣatra)
• Moon (Niśākara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is practiced through rightly timed sacred acts; bathing at a tīrtha on an auspicious tithi and nakṣatra is praised.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction refers to bathing at the tīrtha being discussed in this adhyāya, later identified in the narrative as Śaṅkha-tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at the tīrtha on Caitra month’s Śukla Caturdaśī when the Moon is in Citrā nakṣatra.