Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

कार्तिक्यां कृत्तिकायोगे भीष्मपञ्चककृन्नरः । सम्यक्छ्रद्धासमुत्पन्नो योऽत्र स्नानं करिष्यति

Transliteration

kārtikyāṃ kṛttikāyoge bhīṣmapañcakakṛnnaraḥ | samyakchraddhāsamutpanno yo'tra snānaṃ kariṣyati

Translation

കാർത്തിക മാസത്തിൽ കൃത്തികാ-യോഗ സമയത്ത്, ഭീഷ്മപഞ്ചക വ്രതം അനുഷ്ഠിച്ച്, നന്നായി ഉണർന്ന ശ്രദ്ധയോടെ ആരെങ്കിലും ഇവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്‌താൽ—

Word by Word

• कार्तिक्याम्: in (the month of) Kārtika
• कार्तिक्याम्: Adhikarana (Time-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्तिकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गम्; एकवचनम्; सप्तमी (Locative, singular)

• कृत्तिकायोगे: at the conjunction with (the nakṣatra) Kṛttikā
• कृत्तिकायोगे: Adhikarana (Time-condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्तिका (प्रातिपदिक) + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्; एकवचनम्; सप्तमी (Locative, singular); समासः—कृत्तिकायाः योगः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• भीष्मपञ्चककृत्: one who performs the Bhīṣma-pañcaka observance
• भीष्मपञ्चककृत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भीष्म (प्रातिपदिक) + पञ्चक (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √कृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्; एकवचनम्; प्रथमा; ‘कृत्’ = कर्तरि कृदन्त (agent noun) ‘doer’; समासः—भीष्मपञ्चकं करोति इति उपपद-तत्पुरुषः

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्; एकवचनम्; प्रथमा (Nominative, singular)

• सम्यक्: properly; duly
• सम्यक्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb of manner)

• श्रद्धासमुत्पन्नः: arisen with faith; filled with faith
• श्रद्धासमुत्पन्नः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक) + समुत्पन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; सम्+उत्+√पद्/√पद्? ‘उत्पन्न’ = arisen)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्; एकवचनम्; प्रथमा; समासः—श्रद्धया समुत्पन्नः इति तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (instrumental relation)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्गम्; एकवचनम्; प्रथमा (Nominative, singular)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb of place)

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्; एकवचनम्; द्वितीया (Accusative, singular)

• करिष्यति: will do; will perform
• करिष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकारः (Simple future); प्रथमपुरुषः; एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Sūta reporting the māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahmakuṇḍa/Sukūṇḍa (contextual)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at dawn in Kārttika, mist over a stepped pond; devotees perform snāna with folded hands, some holding lamps; a calendar motif hints at Kṛttikā nakṣatra and the five-day Bhīṣma vow.

Characters & Entities

• Kārttika (month)
• Kṛttikā (nakṣatra)
• Bhīṣma-pañcaka
• Brahmakuṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faith-filled observance in Kārttika, especially at an auspicious nakṣatra alignment, magnifies tīrtha-merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The bathing place ‘here’ refers to Brahmakuṇḍa within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at the tīrtha during Kārttika in Kṛttikā-yoga, together with the Bhīṣma-pañcaka five-day vow.