Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

यस्तत्र कुरुते स्नानं तस्य मृत्युभयं कुतः । साऽद्य पंचदशी राम ज्येष्ठमाससमुद्भवा । ज्येष्ठानक्षत्रसंयुक्ता तस्मात्स्नातुं त्वमर्हसि

Transliteration

yastatra kurute snānaṃ tasya mṛtyubhayaṃ kutaḥ | sā'dya paṃcadaśī rāma jyeṣṭhamāsasamudbhavā | jyeṣṭhānakṣatrasaṃyuktā tasmātsnātuṃ tvamarhasi

Translation

ผู้ใดอาบน้ำชำระในที่นั้น ความหวาดกลัวต่อความตายจะมีได้อย่างไร? วันนี้ โอ้พระราม เป็นวันขึ้นสิบห้าค่ำแห่งเดือนเชษฐะ ประกอบด้วยนักษัตรเชษฐา; เพราะฉะนั้นท่านควรลงสรงในตีรถะนั้น

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• स्नानम्: bath
• स्नानम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• तस्य: for him/of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• मृत्युभयम्: fear of death
• मृत्युभयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु + भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मृत्योः भयम् = fear of death)

• कुतः: from where?/how?
• कुतः: Hetu-prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय/प्रश्नाव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative: whence/how)

• सा: that (she)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अद्य: today
• अद्य: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय

• पञ्चदशी: the fifteenth lunar day
• पञ्चदशी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चदशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (तिथि-नाम)

• राम: O Rāma
• राम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ज्येष्ठमाससमुद्भवा: arising in the month of Jyeṣṭha
• ज्येष्ठमाससमुद्भवा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्येष्ठ + मास + समुद्भवा (सम्+उद्+भू; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (ज्येष्ठमासात् समुद्भवा = arising in the month Jyeṣṭha)

• ज्येष्ठानक्षत्रसंयुक्ता: conjoined with the Jyeṣṭhā constellation
• ज्येष्ठानक्षत्रसंयुक्ता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्येष्ठा + नक्षत्र + संयुक्त (सम्+युज्; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (ज्येष्ठानक्षत्रेण संयुक्ता = joined with Jyeṣṭhā nakṣatra)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

• स्नातुम्: to bathe
• स्नातुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (Infinitive/तुमन्त), प्रयोजन (purpose)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अर्हसि: ought/are fit
• अर्हसि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from the advisory tone and continuity)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pitāmaha/Brahmā-tīrtha (bathing spot)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rāma

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The guide emphatically declares that bathing here removes fear of death, then points out the auspicious alignment: Jyeṣṭha month’s fifteenth day with Jyeṣṭhā nakṣatra, urging Rāma to bathe now.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Jyeṣṭha month
• Pañcadaśī (Pūrṇimā context)
• Jyeṣṭhā Nakṣatra
• Tīrtha-snānā (bathing at the sacred ford)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A holy bath undertaken with right time and faith is portrayed as a powerful purifier that even dispels existential fear.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The unnamed ‘there’ refers to the tīrtha being recommended in this adhyāya, later specified as a renowned tīrtha near Mārkaṇḍeya’s hermitage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at the tīrtha on Jyeṣṭha pañcadaśī (full-moon) when joined with Jyeṣṭhā nakṣatra.