Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

विश्वामित्र उवाच । यदा निमज्जनं कुर्यात्तव तोये महानदि । परमं वेगमास्थाय तदाऽनय ममांतिकम्

Transliteration

viśvāmitra uvāca | yadā nimajjanaṃ kuryāttava toye mahānadi | paramaṃ vegamāsthāya tadā'naya mamāṃtikam

Translation

ବିଶ୍ୱାମିତ୍ର କହିଲେ—ହେ ମହାନଦୀ! ଯେତେବେଳେ ବସିଷ୍ଠ ତୁମ ଜଳରେ ନିମଜ୍ଜନ କରିବେ, ସେତେବେଳେ ପରମ ବେଗ ଧାରଣ କରି ତାଙ୍କୁ ମୋ ନିକଟକୁ ଆଣ।

Word by Word

• विश्वामित्रः: Viśvāmitra
• विश्वामित्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśvāmitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Temporal link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb/conjunction)

• निमज्जनम्: immersion, dipping
• निमज्जनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nimajjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कुर्यात्: should do
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• तव: of you/your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (pronoun)

• तोये: in (your) water
• तोये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: toya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• महानदि: O great river
• महानदि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahānadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—महान् + नदी (विशेषण-विशेष्य)

• परमम्: supreme, very great
• परमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘वेगम्’ इति विशेषण

• वेगम्: speed, force
• वेगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vega (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आस्थाय: having assumed/taken up
• आस्थाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Temporal link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• आनय: bring (me)
• आनय: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + नी (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (pronoun)

• अन्तिकम्: near (me), to my vicinity
• अन्तिकम्: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘मम’ इति षष्ठीसम्बन्ध

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The river (personified devī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viśvāmitra on the riverbank commands the great river to surge and deliver Vasiṣṭha to him at the moment of immersion; the river is shown as a goddess rising from waves, hesitant yet compelled.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Sarasvatī River (addressed as Mahānadi)
• Vasiṣṭha (implied by context of “immersion”)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred acts like bathing (nimajjana) occur within a moral universe; misusing sacred powers for harm is shown as a distortion of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sarasvatī river-tīrtha, within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nimajjana (ritual immersion/bathing) is referenced as an act performed in the river’s waters, though no detailed procedure is given.