Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

रामचंद्रधनुष्कोटौ स्नानं चेल्लभ्यते नृणाम् । सितासितसरित्पुण्यवारिभिः किं प्रयोजनम्

Transliteration

rāmacaṃdradhanuṣkoṭau snānaṃ cellabhyate nṛṇām | sitāsitasaritpuṇyavāribhiḥ kiṃ prayojanam

Translation

หากมนุษย์ได้อาบน้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์ ณ ธนุษโกฏิของพระรามจันทราแล้ว น้ำบุญแห่งแม่น้ำสีตาและอสีตาจะมีประโยชน์อันใดเล่า

Word by Word

• rāma-caṃdra-dhanuṣkoṭau: at Rāmacandra’s Dhanuṣkoṭi
• rāma-caṃdra-dhanuṣkoṭau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक) + caṃdra (प्रातिपदिक) + dhanuṣkoṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक—‘रामचन्द्रस्य धनुष्कोटौ’

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• cet: if
• cet: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cet (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक अव्यय—शर्तार्थक (conditional)

• labhyate: is obtained/available
• labhyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (धातु) लाभे
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• nṛṇām: for/of men
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• sitā-asita-sarit-puṇya-vāribhiḥ: with the holy waters of the Sitā and Asitā rivers
• sitā-asita-sarit-puṇya-vāribhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sitā (प्रातिपदिक) + asita (प्रातिपदिक) + sarit (प्रातिपदिक) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + vāri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; ‘सितासित-सरितां पुण्यं वारि’ इति

• kim: what (need)
• kim: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• prayojanam: purpose/use
• prayojanam: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prayojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘किं प्रयोजनम्’ इति—प्रयोजनाभावः

Speaker

Sūta (deduced, Setukhaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmacandra-Dhanuṣkoṭi

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims descend into shallow, shimmering coastal waters at Dhanuṣkoṭi; two personified rivers (Sitā and Asitā) appear as distant, humbled river-goddesses, while the sea at Setu glows with Rāma’s sanctifying presence.

Characters & Entities

• Rāmacandra
• Dhanuṣkoṭi
• Sitā River
• Asitā River

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A single, properly situated sacred bath can surpass the merit of many famed holy waters; place-specific sanctity is central to tīrtha-dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rāmacandra’s Dhanuṣkoṭi (Dhanuṣkoṭi Tīrtha) in the Setukhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at Dhanuṣkoṭi is highlighted as the key practice.