Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

कार्तिक्यां कृत्तिकायोगे पुष्करे स्नाति यो नरः । स क्षणान्मुच्यते पापादाजन्ममरणोद्भवात्

Transliteration

kārtikyāṃ kṛttikāyoge puṣkare snāti yo naraḥ | sa kṣaṇānmucyate pāpādājanmamaraṇodbhavāt

Translation

ผู้ใดอาบน้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์ที่ปุษกร ในเดือนการ์ตติกะ เมื่อบังเกิดกฤตติกาโยค—ผู้นั้นย่อมพ้นบาปที่สั่งสมจากวัฏจักรเกิดและตายได้ในพริบตา.

Word by Word

• कार्तिक्याम्: in Kārtika
• कार्तिक्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्तिकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘in (the month) Kārtika / on Kārtikī’

• कृत्तिकायोगे: at the conjunction with (the nakṣatra) Kṛttikā
• कृत्तिकायोगे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्तिका-योग (प्रातिपदिक; कृत्तिका + योग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कृत्तिकायाः योगः)

• पुष्करे: in Puṣkara
• पुष्करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• स्नाति: bathes
• स्नाति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्ना (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• नरः: a man/person
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• क्षणात्: in a moment
• क्षणात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; ‘from/in a moment’

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• पापात्: from sin
• पापात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

• आ-जन्य-मरण-उद्भवात्: from that which arises from birth and death
• आ-जन्य-मरण-उद्भवात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-जन्य-मरण-उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक; आ + जन्म + मरण + उद्भव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (‘arising from birth and death’)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual attribution within Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn in Kārttika, pilgrims descend Puṣkara ghāṭas; the sky shows the Kṛttikā star cluster motif; a devotee enters the water with folded hands, suggesting instant purification.

Characters & Entities

• Puṣkara
• Kārttika
• Kṛttikā
• Snāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time and place together intensify spiritual fruit: sacred calendrical moments amplify tīrtha merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara tīrtha, especially as a Kārttika-month pilgrimage destination.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna at Puṣkara in Kārttika specifically during the Kṛttikā-yoga.