Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

अष्टास्वेतेषु यः स्नातः सम्यक्छ्रद्धासमन्वितः । स स्नातः सर्वतीर्थेषु सत्यमेतन्मयोदितम्

Transliteration

aṣṭāsveteṣu yaḥ snātaḥ samyakchraddhāsamanvitaḥ | sa snātaḥ sarvatīrtheṣu satyametanmayoditam

Translation

ഈ എട്ട് (ക്ഷേത്രങ്ങളിൽ) യഥാവിധി ദൃഢശ്രദ്ധയോടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ, സർവ്വ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിലും സ്നാനം ചെയ്തവനായി കണക്കാക്കപ്പെടുന്നു—ഇത് ഞാൻ പ്രസ്താവിക്കുന്ന സത്യം।

Word by Word

• अष्टासु: in the eight (places)
• अष्टासु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (अष्ट-शब्दः स्त्रीलिङ्गे), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• एतेषु: among these
• एतेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

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

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्नात (कृदन्त; स्ना-धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; कर्तरि-प्रयोगे ‘having bathed’

• सम्यक्: properly
• सम्यक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

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

• समन्वितः: endowed (with)
• समन्वितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + अन्वि (धातु) → समन्वित (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; विशेषणम् (स्नातः/यः)

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

• स्नातः: is (as good as) bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्नात (कृदन्त; स्ना-धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• सर्वतीर्थेषु: in all tīrthas
• सर्वतीर्थेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (‘all’ qualifying ‘tīrthas’)

• सत्यम्: true
• सत्यम्: Pratijna/Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वाक्ये विधेय-भावे (predicative)

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

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (सर्वनाम), तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उदितम्: said/uttered
• उदितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद् + वद् (धातु) → उदित (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; विशेषणम् (एतत्)

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual; likely Sūta continuing the teaching)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aṣṭa-kṣetra snāna (collective)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims bathe at eight distinct waters—river ghats, lake steps, sea-shore, mountain springs—while a subtle aura links them, signifying ‘sarva-tīrtha-snāna’ through śraddhā; Śiva’s declaration ‘satya’ appears as a script-like banner.

Characters & Entities

• Eight kṣetras (Naimiṣa, Kedāra, Puṣkara, Kṛmijāṅgala, Vārāṇasī, Kurukṣetra, Prabhāsa, Hāṭakeśvara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śraddhā (faith) empowers ritual: sincere tīrtha-snānā in key kṣetras is extolled as equivalent to bathing at all holy places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The collective sanctity of the eight named kṣetras is praised as a concentrated form of all tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (sacred bathing) performed with proper faith (samyak-śraddhā).