Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

एतत्कर्मावसाने स स्नातुकामे पितामहे । तच्चर्म प्राक्षिपत्तोये स्वयमेव शतक्रतुः

Transliteration

etatkarmāvasāne sa snātukāme pitāmahe | taccarma prākṣipattoye svayameva śatakratuḥ

Translation

ഈ കര്‍മ്മം അവസാനിച്ചതിന് ശേഷം പിതാമഹന് സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുവാൻ ആഗ്രഹം ഉണ്ടായപ്പോൾ, ശതക്രതു സ്വയം ആ മൃഗചർമ്മം ജലത്തിൽ നിക്ഷേപിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘कर्म’ इत्यस्य निर्देशः

• कर्मावसाने: at the end of the act/rite
• कर्मावसाने: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अवसान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘कर्मणः अवसाने’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

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

• स्नातुकामे: desirous to bathe
• स्नातुकामे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्नातु (तुमुनन्त/अव्यय) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘स्नातुं कामः यस्य’ इति (इच्छार्थक) तत्पुरुष-प्रायः; ‘पितामहे’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• पितामहे: in/with regard to the Grandfather (Pitāmaha)
• पितामहे: Adhikarana (Reference/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (locative sg)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘चर्म’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• चर्म: the hide/skin
• चर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (accusative sg)

• प्राक्षिपत्: threw
• प्राक्षिपत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘threw’

• तोये: in the water
• तोये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (locative sg)

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): oneself

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): indeed/only

• शतक्रतुः: Śatakratu (Indra)
• शतक्रतुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक) + क्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः: ‘शतं क्रतवो यस्य’—Indra

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual, unspecified in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: As Brahmā prepares to bathe, Indra (Śatakratu) casts the deer-hide token into the water, completing the preparatory act; the river glows with sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• Śatakratu (Indra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Service (sevā) and reverence within sacred rites are meritorious; even great gods act humbly in tīrtha settings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha of Adhyāya 190 in Nāgara Khaṇḍa, where even Brahmā’s bath is treated as a sanctifying event.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Assisting the snāna rite—casting the ritual deer-hide into the water as part of the bathing procedure.