Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

तस्य पापसहस्राणि विलयं यांति तत्क्षणात् । पुष्करे च प्रयागे वा यत्र क्वापि महाजले । चातुर्मास्येषु यः स्नाति पुण्यसंख्या न विद्यते

Transliteration

tasya pāpasahasrāṇi vilayaṃ yāṃti tatkṣaṇāt | puṣkare ca prayāge vā yatra kvāpi mahājale | cāturmāsyeṣu yaḥ snāti puṇyasaṃkhyā na vidyate

Translation

Para ele, milhares de pecados se desfazem naquele mesmo instante. Seja em Puṣkara ou em Prayāga, ou em qualquer grande extensão de água, quem se banha durante o Cāturmāsya obtém mérito além de toda contagem.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/of that person
• तस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पापसहस्राणि: thousands of sins
• पापसहस्राणि: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: पापानां सहस्राणि (thousands of sins)

• विलयम्: dissolution/destruction
• विलयम्: कर्म (Goal/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• यान्ति: go/vanish
• यान्ति: क्रिया (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• तत्क्षणात्: instantly/from that moment
• तत्क्षणात्: अपादान (Ablative/Source-Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: तत् क्षणः (that very moment) → ‘from that moment/instantly’

• पुष्करे: at Puṣkara
• पुष्करे: अधिकरण (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (place-name)

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• प्रयागे: at Prayāga
• प्रयागे: अधिकरण (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (place-name)

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

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: अधिकरण-निर्देशक (Locative indicator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb: where)

• क्वापि: anywhere
• क्वापि: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय) + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययसमूह; अनिश्चित-स्थानवाचक (indefinite adverb: anywhere)

• महाजले: in great waters
• महाजले: अधिकरण (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: महत् जलम् (great body of water)

• चातुर्मास्येषु: during Cāturmāsya (months)
• चातुर्मास्येषु: अधिकरण (Locative/Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; ‘during the Cāturmāsya months’

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

• स्नाति: bathes
• स्नाति: क्रिया (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• पुण्यसंख्या: the number of merits
• पुण्यसंख्या: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य + संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: पुण्यानां संख्या (count of merits)

• न: not
• न: निषेध (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेधार्थक-निपात (negation)

• विद्यते: exists/is found
• विद्यते: क्रिया (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; भावे प्रयोगः (impersonal/existential sense)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced; Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration typically via Sūta to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara / Prayāga (exemplars) and ‘mahājala’ generally

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at dawn bathing in a vast expanse of water; in the distance symbolic markers of Puṣkara (lotus lake) and Prayāga (river confluence), suggesting that sacred merit flows through all great waters in Cāturmāsya.

Characters & Entities

• Puṣkara
• Prayāga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cāturmāsya bathing is presented as an exceptionally powerful purifier, destroying vast sin and generating immeasurable merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara and Prayāga are explicitly mentioned; the verse also extends the praise to any ‘great waters’ suitable for sacred bathing.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) during the Cāturmāsya months, ideally in major waters, including renowned tīrthas like Puṣkara and Prayāga.