Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

अथ ते ब्राह्मणा दृष्ट्वा तां शुद्धिं वस्त्रसंभवाम् । तं च श्वेतीकृतं चेदृग्रजकं विस्मयान्विताः

Transliteration

atha te brāhmaṇā dṛṣṭvā tāṃ śuddhiṃ vastrasaṃbhavām | taṃ ca śvetīkṛtaṃ cedṛgrajakaṃ vismayānvitāḥ

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ആ ബ്രാഹ്മണർ വസ്ത്രങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നു പ്രകടമായ ആ ശുദ്ധി കണ്ടു; കൂടാതെ ആ അലക്കുകാരൻ ഇങ്ങനെ വെളുപ്പിക്കപ്പെട്ടതും കണ്ടപ്പോൾ അവർ വിസ്മയഭരിതരായി.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (then)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन (nom. pl.)

• ब्राह्मणाः: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन (nom. pl.)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + क्त्वा
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive: having seen)

• ताम्: that
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (acc. sg.)

• शुद्धिम्: purity/cleansing
• शुद्धिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (acc. sg.)

• वस्त्रसंभवाम्: arising from the garments
• वस्त्रसंभवाम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (वस्त्रात् सम्भवा = arising from the cloth)

• तम्: him/that one
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (acc. sg.)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• श्वेतीकृतम्: whitened
• श्वेतीकृतम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्वेत (प्रातिपदिक) + √कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (acc. sg.); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (made white/whitened)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• एदृक्: such
• एदृक्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एदृश्/एदृक् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (acc. sg.: 'such')

• रजकम्: washerman
• रजकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रजक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (acc. sg.)

• विस्मयान्विताः: filled with wonder
• विस्मयान्विताः: Karta (Subject attribute/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विस्मय (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्वित (प्रातिपदिक/क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन (nom. pl.); तत्पुरुष (विस्मयेन अन्विताः = endowed with astonishment)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brāhmaṇas examine the garments’ purity and behold the washerman turned strikingly white; their faces show astonishment and reverent disbelief.

Characters & Entities

• brāhmaṇas
• rajaka (washerman)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In tīrtha narratives, inner merit (puṇya) can appear outwardly as purity—signaling the transformative power of sacred acts and places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha is implied by the Tīrthamāhātmya context, but the precise site name is not present in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse describes a wondrous result (śuddhi/whitening) associated with garments and the washerman.