Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

त्रिष्वेतेषु च यः स्नाति चतुर्विंशतिभाग्भवेत्

Transliteration

triṣveteṣu ca yaḥ snāti caturviṃśatibhāgbhavet

Translation

ഈ മൂന്ന് വനങ്ങളിൽ (ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിൽ) ആരെങ്കിലും സ്നാനം ചെയ്‌താൽ, അവൻ ചതുര്‍വിംശതി-ഭാഗം പുണ്യഫലത്തിന്റെ പങ്കാളിയാകും।

Word by Word

• त्रिषु: in three (places)
• त्रिषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; संख्याशब्दः

• एतेषु: among these
• एतेषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

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

• स्नाति: bathes
• स्नाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• चतुर्विंशतिभाक्: a sharer of a twenty-fourth part
• चतुर्विंशतिभाक्: Karta-predicative (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्विंशति (प्रातिपदिक) + भज् (धातु) → भाक् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: चतुर्विंशतेः भागः यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vana-traya snāna (Vṛndāvana–Khāṇḍava–Dvaitavana)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims bathing at three forest waters: Yamunā/kuṇḍa in Vṛndāvana, a forest lake/river for Khāṇḍava, and a serene woodland pond for Dvaitavana; a symbolic 24-petalled lotus floats above each water as the merit-sign.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛndāvana
• Khāṇḍava Vana
• Dvaitavana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrtha practice treats certain triads of places as exceptionally potent; snāna there is said to multiply spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The three forests listed in the previous verse: Vṛndāvana, Khāṇḍava Vana, and Dvaitavana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) connected with these three sacred locales.