Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

चातुर्मास्ये जलगतो देवो नारायणो भवेत् । सर्वतीर्थाधिकं स्नानं विष्णुतेजोंशसंगतम्

Transliteration

cāturmāsye jalagato devo nārāyaṇo bhavet | sarvatīrthādhikaṃ snānaṃ viṣṇutejoṃśasaṃgatam

Translation

ചാതുർമാസ്യത്തിൽ ദേവനായ നാരായണൻ ജലത്തിനുള്ളിൽ അന്തർലീനനായി വസിക്കുന്നു; അതിനാൽ അന്നത്തെ സ്നാനം സർവ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളേക്കാൾ ശ്രേഷ്ഠം, വിഷ്ണുതേജസ്സിന്റെ അംശത്തോട് ചേർന്നതാണ്.

Word by Word

• चातुर्मास्ये: in the Cāturmāsya period
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (अधिकरणे), एकवचनम्; ‘चातुर्मास्य’ = चातुर्मास-सम्बन्धि (during the four-month period)

• जलगतः: gone into water
• जलगतः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; भूतकृदन्तः (क्त), ‘जल-गत’ = जलं गतः (gone into water)

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• नारायणः: Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; देवस्य विशेष-नाम

• भवेत्: would be / should become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• सर्वतीर्थाधिकम्: surpassing all sacred fords
• सर्वतीर्थाधिकम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘सर्व-तीर्थ-अधिक’ = सर्वेभ्यः तीर्थेभ्यः अधिकम् (greater than all tīrthas)

• स्नानम्: bath
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• विष्णुतेजः-अंश-संगतम्: connected with a portion of Viṣṇu’s splendor
• विष्णुतेजः-अंश-संगतम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक) + अंश (प्रातिपदिक) + संगत (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘विष्णु-तेजः-अंश’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः) + ‘संगत’ (क्त) = तेन संगतम् (associated with a portion of Viṣṇu’s radiance)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cāturmāsya-jala (Nārāyaṇa-sannihita water)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Monsoon season: devotees bathe in a simple pond/river; within the water, a subtle luminous form of Nārāyaṇa is suggested—light rays and conch-disc motifs shimmering on the surface, indicating Viṣṇu-tejas.

Characters & Entities

• Cāturmāsya
• Nārāyaṇa
• Viṣṇu
• Jala (Water)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time intensifies sacred matter: during Cāturmāsya, water itself is treated as divinely charged for purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching universalizes tīrtha: any water becomes exceptionally holy in Cāturmāsya due to Nārāyaṇa’s presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna during Cāturmāsya, recognizing it as especially meritorious.