Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

ततः स बालकः सद्यः स्नातमात्रो द्विजोत्तमाः । कुष्ठव्याधिविनिर्मुक्तो जातो बालार्कसंनिभः

Transliteration

tataḥ sa bālakaḥ sadyaḥ snātamātro dvijottamāḥ | kuṣṭhavyādhivinirmukto jāto bālārkasaṃnibhaḥ

Translation

அப்போது, ஓ இருபிறப்போரில் சிறந்தவர்களே! அந்தச் சிறுவன் நீராடிய உடனே குஷ்ட நோயிலிருந்து விடுபட்டு, விடியற்காலத்தில் உதிக்கும் இளஞ்சூரியனைப் போல ஒளிவீசினான்।

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/सम्बन्धबोधक), अर्थे: 'तस्मात्/अनन्तरम्' (thereupon/then)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (he)

• बालकः: the boy
• बालकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सद्यः: immediately
• सद्यः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadyaḥ (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) (immediately)

• स्नातमात्रः: having just bathed
• स्नातमात्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: snāta (कृदन्त, √snā (धातु) ) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (स्नातः एव मात्रः = just bathed); कृदन्तः—क्त (past passive participle)

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana/Address (Vocative sense/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (श्रेष्ठाः द्विजाः = best of the twice-born)

• कुष्ठव्याधिविनिर्मुक्तः: freed from leprosy-disease
• कुष्ठव्याधिविनिर्मुक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kuṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + vyādhi (प्रातिपदिक) + vinirmukta (कृदन्त, √muc (धातु) )
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (कुष्ठ-व्याधिभ्यः विनिर्मुक्तः); कृदन्तः—क्त (past passive participle)

• जातः: became/was born (i.e., became)
• जातः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jāta (कृदन्त, √jan (धातु))
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कृदन्तः—क्त (born/has become), वाक्ये क्रियार्थे प्रयुक्तः (used predicatively)

• बालार्कसंनिभः: resembling the rising sun
• बालार्कसंनिभः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāla (प्रातिपदिक) + arka (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃnibha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (बालार्कस्य संनिभः = like the morning sun)

Speaker

Narrative voice addressing dvijottamas (brāhmaṇas/sages) within the discourse

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gomukha-prakāśita tīrtha (name not explicit in verse)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottamāḥ (addressed brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A leprosy-afflicted boy steps out of a sacred pool/spring; his skin becomes clear and he shines like the newborn morning sun; astonished attendants and a reverent father look on.

Characters & Entities

• Dvijottama (addressed audience)
• Leprosy (kuṣṭha)
• Jāhnavī waters (by context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snānā, when performed in faith at a sanctified place, yields tangible transformation—purity, health, and renewed spiritual brilliance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The supuṇya Jāhnavī waters associated with Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra, shown to confer immediate healing.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing/immersion in the sacred water as the direct means for removing affliction and impurity.