Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तत्र स्नात्वा तु ये मर्त्या नारी वा शुभवारिणि । पूजयेत्तां महादेवि शंखावर्तेति विश्रुताम्

Transliteration

tatra snātvā tu ye martyā nārī vā śubhavāriṇi | pūjayettāṃ mahādevi śaṃkhāvarteti viśrutām

Translation

ഹേ മഹാദേവീ! ആ ശുഭജലത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുന്ന മർത്ത്യർ—പുരുഷനോ സ്ത്രീയോ—സ്നാനാനന്തരം ‘ശംഖാവർത്താ’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധയായ ആ ദേവിയെ പൂജിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) → स्नात्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया—‘स्नात्वा’ = having bathed

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपात (emphasis/contrast particle)

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• मर्त्याः: mortals/people
• मर्त्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• नारी: a woman
• नारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विकल्पे (either/or with वा)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Disjunction/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• शुभ-वारिणि: in the auspicious water
• शुभ-वारिणि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक) + वारि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—शुभं वारि यस्मिन् (कर्मधारय); अधिकरणम्

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ताम्: her/that (goddess)
• ताम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूपम्

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• शंख-आवर्त-इति: as ‘Śaṅkhāvarta’
• शंख-आवर्त-इति: Sambandha (Quotative/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शंख (प्रातिपदिक) + आवर्त (प्रातिपदिक) + इति (अव्यय)
• Form: इति—उद्धरण/नामनिर्देश-अव्यय; ‘शंखावर्त’ इति नाम-निर्देशः

• विश्रुताम्: renowned/famous
• विश्रुताम्: Karman (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-श्रु (धातु) → विश्रुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (ताम्)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṅkhodaka (snāna) and Śaṅkhāvartā (devī-arcana)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims (men and women) emerge from the kuṇḍa, wet hair and simple garments, carrying flowers and lamps; they approach a small Devī shrine where Śaṅkhāvartā is enshrined; conch-spiral motifs decorate the doorway.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkhodaka Kuṇḍa
• Śaṅkhāvartā (Devī)
• Mahādevī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification (snāna) should culminate in devotion (pūjā); inner and outer cleansing are joined in Purāṇic practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaṅkhodaka Kuṇḍa and the worship of the Goddess famed as Śaṅkhāvartā in the same sacred vicinity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathe in the auspicious waters (tīrtha-snān) and then perform worship (pūjā) of the Goddess.