Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

षष्ठ्या स्नानं ततः कार्यं पुनराचमनं भवेत् । दद्याच्च वाससी स्वर्णसहिते भक्तिशक्तितः

Transliteration

ṣaṣṭhyā snānaṃ tataḥ kāryaṃ punarācamanaṃ bhavet | dadyācca vāsasī svarṇasahite bhaktiśaktitaḥ

Translation

പിന്നെ ഷഷ്ഠി ദിനത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുകയും വീണ്ടും ആചമനം നടത്തുകയും വേണം. ഭക്തിശക്തിയനുസരിച്ച് സ്വർണ്ണസഹിതം വസ്ത്രയുഗളം ദാനം ചെയ്യണം.

Word by Word

• षष्ठ्या: on the sixth (day)
• षष्ठ्या: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षष्ठी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालवाचक (on the sixth [day])

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = thereafter

• कार्यम्: should be done
• कार्यम्: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (कृदन्त; √कृ धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligatory); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (स्नानम्) = ‘to be done’

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = again

• आचमनम्: sipping (ritual)
• आचमनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आचमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भवेत्: should be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; अर्थ: ‘should give’

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

• वाससी: two garments
• वाससी: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्विवचन; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म) (or प्रथमा—context favors object of ‘give’); ‘two garments’

• स्वर्ण-सहिते: together with gold
• स्वर्ण-सहिते: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वर्ण + सहित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (स्वर्णसहित = accompanied with gold); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; विशेषण (वाससी)

• भक्ति-शक्तितः: according to one’s devotional capacity
• भक्ति-शक्तितः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भक्ति + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (भक्तिशक्ति = power of devotion); तद्धितान्त अव्यय ‘-तः’ (ablatival adverb) = ‘according to/from’; क्रियाविशेषण

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya didactic narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn on Ṣaṣṭhī, a pilgrim emerges from the river after bathing, performs ācamana, and offers folded garments and a small gold coin to a worthy recipient near the ghat.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Cāturmāsya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification and generosity, performed in devotion and within one’s means, are upheld as core tīrtha-dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is part of a tīrtha-mahātmya framework but does not name a particular site in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

On ṣaṣṭhī: perform snāna and ācamana; then donate a pair of garments with gold as per one’s capacity.