Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

एतासु यो नरः स्नाति चतुर्विंशतिभाग्भवेत्

Transliteration

etāsu yo naraḥ snāti caturviṃśatibhāgbhavet

Translation

Qualquer pessoa que se banhar nestas (três cidades sagradas) torna-se destinatária de uma porção de mérito em vinte e quatro partes.

Word by Word

• एतासु: among these (f.)
• एतासु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम

• नरः: man/person
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• स्नाति: bathes
• स्नाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• चतुर्विंशतिभाक्: a sharer of a twenty-fourth part
• चतुर्विंशतिभाक्: Karta-predicative (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्विंशति (प्रातिपदिक) + भज् (धातु) → भाक् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: चतुर्विंशतेः भागः यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puri-traya snāna (Kāśī–Dvārakā–Avantī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three pilgrims’ baths shown as a single continuous ritual: Gaṅgā ghāṭ immersion, ocean-side Dvārakā snāna, and Shiprā river snāna; above them a symbolic ‘24-part’ aureole indicating the stated share of merit.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
• Dvārakā
• Avantī (Ujjayinī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage bathing (snāna) in highly praised tīrthas is portrayed as a powerful multiplier of puṇya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse refers back to the three Purīs just named: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), Dvārakā, and Avantī (Ujjain).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at the referenced sacred cities.