Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यस्तत्र कार्तिके मासि कृत्तिकास्थे निशाकरे । मध्याह्ने कुरुते स्नानं स गच्छति परां गतिम्

Transliteration

yastatra kārtike māsi kṛttikāsthe niśākare | madhyāhne kurute snānaṃ sa gacchati parāṃ gatim

Translation

അവിടെ കാർത്തിക മാസത്തിൽ, ചന്ദ്രൻ കൃത്തികാ നക്ഷത്രത്തിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുമ്പോൾ, മധ്യാഹ്നത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ പരമഗതിയെ പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• यः: whoever
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine nominative singular)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशार्थे (adverb of place)

• कार्तिके: in (the month of) Kārttika
• कार्तिके: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; मास-विशेषण (locative singular; qualifying 'māsi')

• मासि: in the month
• मासि: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masculine locative singular)

• कृत्तिकास्थे: when (the moon) is in Kṛttikā (lunar mansion)
• कृत्तिकास्थे: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत्तिका-स्थ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण (locative singular; qualifying 'niśākare')

• निशाकरे: when the moon (night-maker) is (so placed)
• निशाकरे: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशा-कर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masculine locative singular)

• मध्याह्ने: at midday
• मध्याह्ने: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्याह्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masculine locative singular)

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (present, 3rd person singular, middle)

• स्नानम्: bath
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter accusative singular)

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

• गच्छति: goes/attains
• गच्छति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (present, 3rd person singular)

• पराम्: supreme
• पराम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (feminine accusative singular; qualifying 'gatim')

• गतिम्: state/goal
• गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (feminine accusative singular)

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara-traya

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At noon under a bright Kārttika sky, pilgrims descend ghats into one of the Puṣkara pools; the moon-in-Kṛttikā is symbolically shown (crescent with star cluster motif) despite daytime, indicating astrological sanctity; a radiant path suggests ‘parā gati’.

Characters & Entities

• Kārttika (month)
• Kṛttikā (nakṣatra)
• Puṣkara-traya (implied tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right timing (Kārttika and Kṛttikā) combined with tīrtha-bathing is portrayed as a direct means to the highest spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse refers to bathing “there,” i.e., at the Puṣkara-traya tīrtha introduced in the immediately preceding passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna (ritual bathing) at midday during Kārttika when the moon is in Kṛttikā.