Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

यदा स्यात्कृत्तिकायोगः कार्तिके मासि पार्थिव । शशांकस्य तदा चैतज्जायते पौष्करे जले

Transliteration

yadā syātkṛttikāyogaḥ kārtike māsi pārthiva | śaśāṃkasya tadā caitajjāyate pauṣkare jale

Translation

ഹേ പാർത്ഥിവാ! കാർത്തിക മാസത്തിൽ കൃത്തികായോഗം സംഭവിക്കുമ്പോൾ, ചന്ദ്രബന്ധമുള്ള ആ സമയത്ത് ഇത് (സാവിത്രപദ്മം) പുഷ്കരജലത്തിൽ ഉദ്ഭവിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kāla-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'when')

• syāt: would be/occurs
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम; √अस् (भू)

• kṛttikā-yogaḥ: the conjunction with Kṛttikā (asterism)
• kṛttikā-yogaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛttikā (प्रातिपदिक) + yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कृत्तिकायाः योगः)

• kārtike: in Kārtika (month)
• kārtike: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārtika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; मास-नाम

• māsi: in the month
• māsi: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• pārthiva: O king
• pārthiva: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārthiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• śaśāṃkasya: of the moon
• śaśāṃkasya: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaśāṃka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• jāyate: is born/arises
• jāyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम; √जन् (प्रादुर्भावे)

• pauṣkare: in Puṣkara (sacred)
• pauṣkare: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pauṣkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; विशेषण (पुष्कर-सम्बन्धि)

• jale: in water
• jale: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara (Sāvitra-padma manifestation)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: the king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage describes the Kṛttikā conjunction in Kārtika; in the lake a special lotus is envisioned as arising, with lunar and solar symbolism hovering subtly above the waters.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Kṛttikā
• Kārtika (month)
• Śaśāṅka (Moon)
• Puṣkara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma links sacred geography with sacred time; certain tīrtha-manifestations appear at specific calendrical yogas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara (Pauṣkara-jala) is explicitly named as the waters where the manifestation occurs.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse indicates auspicious timing—Kārtika month with Kṛttikā-yoga—for engaging with Puṣkara’s sacred manifestation.