Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

अथ तस्मिन्ह्रदे मर्त्याः स्नात्वा सारस्वते शुभे । स्पृष्ट्वा चित्रशिलां तां च प्रयांति परमां गतिम्

Transliteration

atha tasminhrade martyāḥ snātvā sārasvate śubhe | spṛṣṭvā citraśilāṃ tāṃ ca prayāṃti paramāṃ gatim

Translation

แล้วในสระนั้น มนุษย์ทั้งหลาย เมื่ออาบในสายน้ำสารัสวตะอันเป็นมงคล และได้สัมผัสศิลาจิตรศิลาแล้ว ย่อมบรรลุคติอันสูงสุด

Word by Word

• अथ: then, now
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अनन्तर/प्रारम्भसूचक)

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• ह्रदे: in the lake
• ह्रदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• मर्त्याः: mortals, people
• मर्त्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Prior action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय, Absolutive/Gerund), अव्यय; पूर्वक्रिया

• सारस्वते: Sarasvat-related
• सारस्वते: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सारस्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (ह्रदे)

• शुभे: auspicious
• शुभे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (ह्रदे)

• स्पृष्ट्वा: having touched
• स्पृष्ट्वा: Kriya (Prior action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्पृश् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय, Absolutive), अव्यय; पूर्वक्रिया

• चित्रशिलाम्: the variegated stone
• चित्रशिलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक) + शिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः कर्मधारयः (चित्रा शिला); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ताम्: that (her/it)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• प्रयान्ति: they go, attain
• प्रयान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• परमाम्: supreme
• परमाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (गतिम्)

• गतिम्: state, destination
• गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextually Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sārasvata-hrada (with Citraśilā)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims bathe in a clear lake labeled ‘Sārasvata’; after emerging, they touch a distinctive, possibly painted/variegated sacred stone (Citraśilā) on the bank; a subtle light indicates liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Sārasvata-hrada (lake)
• Citraśilā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage acts—especially tīrtha-snān and reverent contact with sanctified objects—are celebrated as direct means to purification and the highest spiritual goal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sārasvata lake (hrada) and the sacred Citraśilā within that tīrtha are explicitly praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) in the Sārasvata lake and touching (sparśa) of the Citraśilā stone.