Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

आश्विने शुक्लपक्षस्य अष्टम्यां च विशेषतः । स्नातव्यं च प्रयत्नेन योगिनीप्रीतये नृभिः

Transliteration

āśvine śuklapakṣasya aṣṭamyāṃ ca viśeṣataḥ | snātavyaṃ ca prayatnena yoginīprītaye nṛbhiḥ

Translation

ആശ്വിന മാസത്തിലെ ശുക്ലപക്ഷ അഷ്ടമിയിൽ പ്രത്യേകിച്ച്, യോഗിനികളുടെ പ്രീതിക്കായി ജനങ്ങൾ പരിശ്രമത്തോടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യണം.

Word by Word

• āśvine: in (the month) Āśvina
• āśvine: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āśvina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषण—(māsa/समय) ‘आश्विन-सम्बन्धि’

• śuklapakṣasya: of the bright fortnight
• śuklapakṣasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śukla + pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (śuklaḥ pakṣaḥ)

• aṣṭamyām: on the eighth (lunar day)
• aṣṭamyām: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तिथि-नाम

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तद्धित)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/विशेषणार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• snātavyam: one should bathe
• snātavyam: Kriyā (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (स्ना, धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (तव्यत्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; विधेय—कर्तव्यता/आवश्यकता (gerundive: ‘should be bathed’)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• prayatnena: with effort
• prayatnena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; साधन/उपायार्थ

• yoginīprītaye: for the pleasure of the Yoginīs
• yoginīprītaye: Sampradāna (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoginī + prīti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (yoginyāḥ prītiḥ)

• nṛbhiḥ: by men
• nṛbhiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; कर्तृ-सम्बन्धे (agent in passive sense)

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced; Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Yoginī-kuṇḍa

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dawn on Āśvina śukla aṣṭamī: pilgrims gather with lamps and flowers at Yoginī-kuṇḍa, performing careful bathing as an act of propitiation; subtle signs of Navarātra season.

Characters & Entities

• Āśvina
• Śuklapakṣa
• Aṣṭamī
• Yoginīs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right timing (tithi and month) intensifies the fruit of tīrtha practice and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Yoginīkuṇḍa in the Ayodhyā Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing at the tīrtha on Āśvina bright-half Aṣṭamī to please the Yoginīs.