Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

यस्मिन्काले ह्यनावृष्टिर्जायते कृत्तिकासुत । स्नापयेद्विधिवन्मां च कलशैर्विविधैः शुभैः

Transliteration

yasminkāle hyanāvṛṣṭirjāyate kṛttikāsuta | snāpayedvidhivanmāṃ ca kalaśairvividhaiḥ śubhaiḥ

Translation

O anak ng mga Kṛttikā, tuwing dumarating ang tagtuyot, ayon sa wastong tuntunin ay dapat paliguan ang aking anyo sa pamamagitan ng maraming mapalad na banga ng tubig (kalaśa) na iba’t iba ang uri.

Word by Word

• यस्मिन्: in which
• यस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• काले: at the time
• काले: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निश्चय/हेतुबोधक (emphatic/causal particle)

• अनावृष्टिः: drought (non-rain)
• अनावृष्टिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन् + आवृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; नञ्-समास/निषेध (lack of rain)

• जायते: arises/occurs
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• कृत्तिकासुत: O son of the Kṛttikās
• कृत्तिकासुत: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्तिका + सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कृत्तिकानां सुतः)

• स्नापयेत्: should bathe (someone)/cause to bathe
• स्नापयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: cause to bathe)

• विधिवत्: according to the prescribed rite
• विधिवत्: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधिवत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner: according to rule)

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• कलशैः: with pots
• कलशैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• विविधैः: various
• विविधैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• शुभैः: auspicious
• शुभैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

Speaker

Kumāreśvara (Skanda/Kārttikeya) (contextual attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kumāreśvara (temple context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed as ‘Kṛttikā-suta’ in the verse (speaker is likely another narrator addressing Skanda, but the instruction itself concerns worship of ‘mām’—the deity speaking). Contextually treated as Skanda’s self-instruction to devotees.

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A drought-stricken landscape; devotees carry many decorated kalaśas; priests perform abhiṣeka over the deity image; clouds begin to gather as a sign of grace.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛttikāsuta (Skanda)
• Anāvṛṣṭi (drought)
• Kalaśa
• Abhiṣeka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Community distress like drought is met through dharmic ritual—devotional abhiṣeka performed with proper procedure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse focuses on the Kumāreśvara cultic setting; the broader adhyāya situates it near the Mahī–Sāgara saṅgama.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform vidhivat snāpana/abhiṣeka of the deity using multiple auspicious kalaśas when drought occurs.