Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

यश्चैतत्पठते भक्त्या ह्यष्टषष्टिसमुद्भवम् । स्नानजं लभते पुण्यं शृण्वानः श्रद्धयान्वितः

Transliteration

yaścaitatpaṭhate bhaktyā hyaṣṭaṣaṣṭisamudbhavam | snānajaṃ labhate puṇyaṃ śṛṇvānaḥ śraddhayānvitaḥ

Translation

ഭക്തിയോടെ അഷ്ടഷഷ്ടിയിൽ നിന്നുദ്ഭവിച്ച ഈ പാഠം ജപിക്കുന്നവൻ തീർത്ഥസ്നാനജന്യ പുണ്യം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു; ശ്രദ്ധയോടെ കേൾക്കുന്നവനും അതേ ഫലം നേടുന്നു।

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• एतत्: this (text)
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पठते: recites/reads
• पठते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), निश्चय/हेतु

• अष्टषष्टिसमुद्भवम्: the (work) arising from sixty-eight
• अष्टषष्टिसमुद्भवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टषष्टि + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘अष्टषष्टेः समुद्भवम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; एतत्-विशेषण/अप्पोजिशन

• स्नानजम्: born of bathing (bath-derived)
• स्नानजम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्नान + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘स्नानात् जातम्’ इति पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• शृण्वानः: listening
• शृण्वानः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रु (धातु) → शृण्वत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present middle participle)

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अन्वितः: endowed (with faith)
• अन्वितः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्वि/अन्वय (धातु) → अन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), अर्थः ‘endowed/possessed’

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuation from verse 11)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-śreṣṭhas / assembly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees recite and listen to the māhātmya with faith; a symbolic river-bath merit radiates from the spoken words, showing equivalence between narrative and snāna.

Characters & Entities

• Aṣṭaṣaṣṭi (Sixty-eight tīrthas)
• Puṇya
• Snāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali-yuga, śravaṇa and pāṭha are elevated: faithful hearing/recitation can confer tīrtha-snānā merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The glorification applies to the entire sixty-eight tīrtha tradition connected with Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhakti-yukta pāṭha (devotional recitation) and śraddhā-yukta śravaṇa (faithful listening).