Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणा ऊचुः । कीदृशं जायते चिह्नं कार्तिक्यां ज्येष्ठपुष्करे । संप्राप्ते कृत्तिकायोगे सर्वं तत्र वदाशु नः

Transliteration

brāhmaṇā ūcuḥ | kīdṛśaṃ jāyate cihnaṃ kārtikyāṃ jyeṣṭhapuṣkare | saṃprāpte kṛttikāyoge sarvaṃ tatra vadāśu naḥ

Translation

ബ്രാഹ്മണർ പറഞ്ഞു—കാർത്തിക മാസത്തിൽ ജ്യേഷ്ഠ പുഷ്കരത്തിൽ കൃത്തികാ-യോഗം വന്നാൽ എങ്ങനെയുള്ള പുണ്യചിഹ്നം പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെടുന്നു? അവിടെ സംഭവിക്കുന്നതെല്ലാം ഞങ്ങൾക്ക് വേഗം പറയുക।

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणाः: the Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणाः: Karta (Speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन = Nominative plural

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• कीदृशम्: what kind of
• कीदृशम्: Karma (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कीदृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Nom/Acc singular; प्रश्नवाचक-विशेषण

• जायते: arises/is produced
• जायते: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• चिह्नम्: a sign
• चिह्नम्: Karta (Subject of जायते)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिह्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Nom/Acc singular

• कार्तिक्याम्: in Kārttika
• कार्तिक्याम्: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्तिकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Locative singular (time)

• ज्येष्ठपुष्करे: at Jyeṣṭha-puṣkara (the sacred Puṣkara)
• ज्येष्ठपुष्करे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्येष्ठ + पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (ज्येष्ठं पुष्करम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Locative singular (place)

• संप्राप्ते: when (it is) arrived
• संप्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Time-circumstance)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + प्राप्त (कृदन्त; √आप्/√प्राप् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Locative singular absolute (सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध/locative absolute): ‘when attained/when it has come’

• कृत्तिकायोगे: at the Kṛttikā conjunction
• कृत्तिकायोगे: Adhikarana (Time/occasion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्तिका + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Locative singular

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Accusative singular

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक)

• वद: tell/say
• वद: Kriya (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• आशु: quickly
• आशु: Sambandha (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = adverb ‘quickly’

• नः: to us/for us
• नः: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (एन्क्लिटिक) = Gen/Dat plural ‘of us/to us’

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jyeṣṭha Puṣkara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta (to respond)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of brāhmaṇas, attentive and earnest, address the narrator with palms joined; behind them the sacred lake and ghāṭs, the sky hinting at Kārttika season.

Characters & Entities

• Jyeṣṭha Puṣkara
• Kārttika
• Kṛttikā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inquiry into tīrtha-glory is itself a dhārmic act; sincere questioning invites authoritative revelation of sacred tradition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jyeṣṭha Puṣkara, the ‘elder’ Puṣkara tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Attention to the auspicious timing—Kārttika month and Kṛttikā-yoga—when the tīrtha’s sign is said to manifest.