Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः कश्चित्पञ्चम्यामर्चयेच्छिवम् । तस्य नागकुलान्यष्टौ न हिंसन्ति कदाचन

Transliteration

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ kaścitpañcamyāmarcayecchivam | tasya nāgakulānyaṣṭau na hiṃsanti kadācana

Translation

तत्र तीर्थे तु यः कश्चित् पञ्चम्यामर्चयेच्छिवम्। तस्य नागकुलान्यष्टौ न हिंसन्ति कदाचन॥

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrast/emphasis particle)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• कश्चित्: someone/anyone
• कश्चित्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ka (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + cit (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक-सर्वनाम (‘someone’)

• पञ्चम्याम्: on the fifth (tithi)
• पञ्चम्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañcamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन; तिथिवाचक (on the fifth lunar day)

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (अर्च्-धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शिवम्: Shiva
• शिवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• नाग-कुलानि: families of serpents
• नाग-कुलानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक) + kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (‘नागानां कुलानि’)

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Visheshana (Numeral qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण (agreeing in sense with plural)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• हिंसन्ति: harm
• हिंसन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hiṃs (हिंस्-धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• कदाचन: ever/at any time
• कदाचन: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācana (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time), ‘at any time/ever’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (Pañcamī-Śiva-arcana tīrtha)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim worships Śiva at the river tīrtha on pañcamī; eight Nāga clans are depicted as pacified, forming a protective circle rather than threatening.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Nāga-kulas (eight)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva-bhakti performed at a holy place and auspicious tithi becomes a shield—transforming fear (nāga-harm) into divine protection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha in Revā Khaṇḍa, where Pañcamī worship of Śiva is especially meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcana (formal worship) of Śiva on the Pañcamī tithi at the tīrtha.