Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

तावत्तिष्ठति देहेषु पातकं सर्वदेहिनाम् । यावन्न पौष्करैस्तोयैः स्नानं वै कुर्वते नराः

Transliteration

tāvattiṣṭhati deheṣu pātakaṃ sarvadehinām | yāvanna pauṣkaraistoyaiḥ snānaṃ vai kurvate narāḥ

Translation

സകല ദേഹികളുടെയും ദേഹങ്ങളിൽ പാപം അത്രകാലം നിലനിൽക്കും; മനുഷ്യർ പുഷ്കരജലങ്ങളാൽ നിശ്ചയമായി സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുന്നതുവരെ.

Word by Word

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-बोधक-अव्यय (correlative adverb), ‘so long’

• तिष्ठति: remains
• तिष्ठति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देहेषु: in bodies
• देहेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• पातकम्: sin
• पातकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वदेहिनाम्: of all embodied beings
• सर्वदेहिनाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + देहिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (‘of all embodied beings’)

• यावत्: until/as long as
• यावत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-बोधक-अव्यय (relative adverb), ‘as long as/until’

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• पौष्करैः: Puṣkara-related
• पौष्करैः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पौष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying toyaiḥ)

• तोयैः: with waters
• तोयैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle), ‘indeed’

• कुर्वते: do/perform
• कुर्वते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• नराः: people/men
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (contextual attribution within Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic scene: dark, smoky aura representing pāpa clings to human figures; as they enter Puṣkara’s clear waters, the darkness dissolves, revealing luminous, calm bodies and faces.

Characters & Entities

• Puṣkara
• Puṣkara waters
• Snāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sin is depicted as a removable impurity; tīrtha-snān is presented as a direct means of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara’s sacred waters (pauṣkara-toya) as a pāpahara tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna using Puṣkara’s waters to dispel pātaka (sin).