Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

तस्यां या कुरुते स्नानं नारी वंध्या द्विजोत्तमाः । सद्यः पुत्रवती सा स्याद्रौद्रे कलियुगे द्विजाः

Transliteration

tasyāṃ yā kurute snānaṃ nārī vaṃdhyā dvijottamāḥ | sadyaḥ putravatī sā syādraudre kaliyuge dvijāḥ

Translation

ഹേ ദ്വിജോത്തമന്മാരേ! ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ വന്ധ്യയായ സ്ത്രീ സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ അവൾ ഉടൻ തന്നെ പുത്രവതിയാകും—ഈ രൗദ്ര കലിയുഗത്തിലും, ഹേ ദ്വിജന്മാരേ!

Word by Word

• तस्याम्: in that (place)
• तस्याम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; locative singular—'in that (place/river)'

• या: she who
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; relative pronoun—'she who'

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

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

• नारी: a woman
• नारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; apposition to या

• वंध्या: barren
• वंध्या: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वन्ध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् नारी—'barren'

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (brahmins)
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे/उद्बोधनरूपे (vocative sense though form = nominative plural): 'O best of twice-born'

• सद्यः: immediately
• सद्यः: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सद्यः (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• पुत्रवती: having a child
• पुत्रवती: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित) → पुत्रवत्/पुत्रवती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् सा—'having a son/children'

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• स्यात्: would become
• स्यात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; 'would become'

• रौद्रे: in the fierce
• रौद्रे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषणम् कलियुगे—'in the fierce'

• कलियुगे: in the Kali age
• कलियुगे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक) + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—कलेः युगम्; locative singular

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे (vocative sense): 'O twice-born'

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottamāḥ (best of twice-born)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A barren woman, reverent and hopeful, bathes at the cool spring/kuṇḍa while sages bless her; the water glows; a subtle symbolic cue of motherhood (cradle/lotus-bud) appears.

Characters & Entities

• Kali Yuga
• Dhārā tīrtha (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s grace is compassionate and immediate, overcoming even Kali Yuga’s harshness through faith and sacred bathing.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The Dhārā tīrtha within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra, praised for granting progeny through snāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in the Dhārā tīrtha as the central act yielding the stated boon.