Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

नागतीर्थं ततो गच्छेत्सरः परमशो भनम् । यत्र स्नात्वा नरः सम्यङ्नागलोकमवाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

nāgatīrthaṃ tato gacchetsaraḥ paramaśo bhanam | yatra snātvā naraḥ samyaṅnāgalokamavāpnuyāt

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം പരമശോഭനമായ ‘നാഗ-തീർത്ഥ’ സരോവരത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം; അവിടെ വിധിപൂർവ്വം സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ മനുഷ്യൻ നാഗലോകം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• नागतीर्थम्: Nāga-tīrtha
• नागतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—नागस्य तीर्थम्

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अपादानार्थ (then/from there)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• सरः: to the lake
• सरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); छान्दस/पौराणिक-प्रयोगे रूपम् (सरः = सरसम्)

• परमशोभनम्: supremely beautiful
• परमशोभनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक) + शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः—परमं शोभनम्

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (where)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• सम्यक्: properly; duly
• सम्यक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: properly)

• नागलोकम्: the world of the Nāgas
• नागलोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—नागानां लोकम्

• अवाप्नुयात्: would attain
• अवाप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद; उपसर्गः—अव (attain)

Speaker

Prahlāda (continued)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāga-tīrtha

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: pilgrims/brāhmaṇas (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous lake ringed by reeds and stone steps; subtle serpent-guardians (Nāgas) appear as semi-divine figures beneath the water’s surface while a pilgrim performs a reverent bath.

Characters & Entities

• Nāga-tīrtha
• Nāgaloka
• Snāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrtha-bathing is described as a transformative act capable of granting extraordinary posthumous destinations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nāga-tīrtha (a sacred lake in the Dvārakā region).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Visit Nāga-tīrtha and perform proper snāna.