Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

स सङ्गमो नृपश्रेष्ठ नित्यं देवैर्निषेवितः । दर्शनात्तस्य तीर्थस्य स्नानदानाद्विशेषतः

Transliteration

sa saṅgamo nṛpaśreṣṭha nityaṃ devairniṣevitaḥ | darśanāttasya tīrthasya snānadānādviśeṣataḥ

Translation

ข้าแต่มหาราชผู้ประเสริฐ สังคมนั้นเทพทั้งหลายเสด็จมาสักการะอยู่เนืองนิตย์ เพียงได้เห็นตีรถะนั้น—และยิ่งนักเมื่อได้อาบน้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์และถวายทาน ณ ที่นั้น—

Word by Word

• सः: that (he/it)
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• सङ्गमः: the confluence
• सङ्गमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपश्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नृपाणां श्रेष्ठः)

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः (adverbial accusative)

• देवैः: by the gods
• देवैः: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• निषेवितः: frequented; resorted to
• निषेवितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि + सेव् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• दर्शनात्: from seeing; by the sight
• दर्शनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तीर्थस्य: of the holy place
• तीर्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्नानदानात्: from bathing and giving (charity)
• स्नानदानात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वः (स्नानं च दानं च)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śūla-tīrtha (Bhadrakālī-saṅgama)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas subtly present in the sky and on the banks, as if routinely visiting; a pilgrim-king gazes upon the confluence; nearby, devotees bathe and then offer alms to ascetics.

Characters & Entities

• Saṅgama (confluence)
• Devas
• Nṛpaśreṣṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places transmit grace through darśana, and that grace intensifies when paired with purifying action (snāna) and compassionate giving (dāna).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Bhadrakālī-saṅgama/Śūla-tīrtha confluence, described as constantly frequented by the devas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana of the tīrtha, and especially snāna (ritual bathing) and dāna (charity) there.