Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

एतत्कृत्वा नृपश्रेष्ठ जन्मनः फलमाप्नुयात् । चतुर्दश्यां तु वै स्नात्वा पूजां कृत्वा यथाविधि

Transliteration

etatkṛtvā nṛpaśreṣṭha janmanaḥ phalamāpnuyāt | caturdaśyāṃ tu vai snātvā pūjāṃ kṛtvā yathāvidhi

Translation

เมื่อกระทำดังนี้แล้ว ข้าแต่มหาราชผู้ประเสริฐ ย่อมบรรลุผลแท้แห่งการเกิด และในวันจตุรทศี เมื่ออาบน้ำชำระแล้ว พึงประกอบบูชาตามพิธีโดยถูกต้อง

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund)

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (श्रेष्ठः नृपः)

• जन्मनः: of (one’s) birth
• जन्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• आप्नुयात्: may obtain
• आप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• वै: certainly
• वै: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive)

• पूजाम्: worship
• पूजाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having performed
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive)

• यथाविधि: according to rule
• यथाविधि: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpaśreṣṭha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at dawn on caturdaśī bathing in the river; afterward, a simple altar with bilva leaves, lamp, and water-pot; the king listening respectfully to the instruction.

Characters & Entities

• nṛpaśreṣṭha (best of kings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human life becomes meaningful when used for disciplined tīrtha-based devotion—snāna, pūjā, and prescribed observances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The fruit-statement concludes the set of observances centered on the Mārkaṇḍeśvara cave-liṅga within Revākhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Completing the stated regimen yields great merit; additionally, on caturdaśī one should bathe and perform yathāvidhi worship.