Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

मार्गकृष्णचतुर्दश्यां तत्र स्नानं विशेषतः । सर्वपापहरं देवि सर्वदा स्नायिनां नृणाम्

Transliteration

mārgakṛṣṇacaturdaśyāṃ tatra snānaṃ viśeṣataḥ | sarvapāpaharaṃ devi sarvadā snāyināṃ nṛṇām

Translation

ਮਾਰਗਸ਼ੀਰਸ਼ ਦੇ ਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਨ ਪੱਖ ਦੀ ਚੌਦਵੀਂ (ਚਤੁਰਦਸ਼ੀ) ਨੂੰ ਉੱਥੇ ਸਨਾਨ ਵਿਸ਼ੇਸ਼ ਫਲਦਾਇਕ ਹੈ। ਹੇ ਦੇਵੀ, ਜੋ ਨਰ ਸਦਾ ਉੱਥੇ ਸਨਾਨ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ, ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਸਭ ਪਾਪ ਹਰ ਲੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• mārga-kṛṣṇa-caturdaśyām: on the 14th (tithi) of the dark fortnight of Mārgaśīrṣa
• mārga-kṛṣṇa-caturdaśyām: Adhikarana (Time locus/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārga + kṛṣṇa + caturdaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (मास-विशेषणेन पक्ष-विशेषणेन तिथि-निर्देशः)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/प्रसङ्गवाचक (there)

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/विशेषणार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• sarva-pāpa-haram: removing all sins
• sarva-pāpa-haram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + pāpa + hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (पापं हरति इति); विशेषणम् (स्नानम्)

• devi: O goddess (lady)
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/संबोधन), एकवचन

• sarvadā: always
• sarvadā: Kala (Time adjunct/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (always)

• snāyinām: of bathers
• snāyinām: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāyin (प्रातिपदिक; √snā + इन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; कर्तृवाचक-नाम (agent noun)

• nṛṇām: of men
• nṛṇām: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

Speaker

Śrī Rāma

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sītākuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as ‘devi’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at a lotus-edged kuṇḍa in Ayodhyā at dusk of kṛṣṇa-caturdaśī; lamps on the water, priests chanting, devotees entering the steps for snāna.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Sītā
• Sītākuṇḍa
• Mārgaśīrṣa (Mārga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time (tithi/month) amplifies sacred place, making tīrtha practice especially potent on prescribed days.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sītākuṇḍa, praised for its sin-destroying bath.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna at Sītākuṇḍa, especially on Mārgaśīrṣa kṛṣṇa caturdaśī (dark-fortnight 14th).