Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यत्र स्नातो जगन्नाथो नभस्ये दैवतैर्वृतः । कटदानं च तत्प्रोक्तं द्वादश्यां द्विजसत्तमाः

Transliteration

yatra snāto jagannātho nabhasye daivatairvṛtaḥ | kaṭadānaṃ ca tatproktaṃ dvādaśyāṃ dvijasattamāḥ

Translation

നഭസ്യ മാസത്തിൽ ദേവന്മാർ ചുറ്റിനിന്നപ്പോൾ ജഗന്നാഥൻ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത സ്ഥലം അതാണ്. ഹേ ദ്വിജസത്തമന്മാരേ! അവിടെ ദ്വാദശിയിൽ കടദാനം (കടിവസ്ത്രദാനം) നിർദ്ദേശിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक-अव्यय; relative adverb)

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) → स्नात (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘having bathed’

• जगन्नाथः: Lord of the universe (Jagannātha)
• जगन्नाथः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जगतः नाथः)

• नभस्ये: in (the month of) Nabhasya
• नभस्ये: Adhikarana (Location/Time locus अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नभस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; मास-नाम (in the month Nabhasya)

• दैवतैः: by/with the deities
• दैवतैः: Karana (Instrument/Agentive accompaniment करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैवत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• वृतः: surrounded
• वृतः: Karta (Predicate qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (धातु) → वृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘surrounded’

• कटदानम्: the gift called ‘kaṭa-dāna’
• कटदानम्: Karma (Object/Topic of statement कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कट (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कटस्य दानम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रोक्तम्: is declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘said/declared’

• द्वादश्याम्: on the Dvādaśī (12th lunar day)
• द्वादश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तिथि-नाम

• द्विजसत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजसत्तमाः: Sambodhana/Prayojaka (Addressed audience/सम्बोधनार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (द्विजाः एव सत्तमाः)

Speaker

Prahlāda (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gopracāra (Jagannātha-snāna-smṛti)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇa sages (dvija-sattamāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Jagannātha/Janārdana bathes in a sacred waterbody during Nabhas; devas form a radiant circle in the sky; on the bank, devotees prepare a folded cloth for kaṭa-dāna on Dvādaśī.

Characters & Entities

• Jagannātha
• Devas
• Nabhas (month)
• Dvādaśī (tithi)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are sanctified by divine precedent; aligning one’s worship and charity with that precedent multiplies merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same tīrtha under discussion (Gopracāra/Gopracāraka context), identified as the place of Jagannātha’s sacred bath.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kaṭa-dāna (donation of a waist-cloth) on Dvādaśī, especially in the month of Nabhas, along with tīrtha-snān.