Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

स्नानवस्त्रं च ते भ्रातू रेतसा यत्परिप्लुतम् । तत्त्वया ऋतुकाले तु परिधानं कृतं शुभे

Transliteration

snānavastraṃ ca te bhrātū retasā yatpariplutam | tattvayā ṛtukāle tu paridhānaṃ kṛtaṃ śubhe

Translation

اے نیک بخت! تمہارے بھائی کا وہ غسل کا کپڑا جو رَیتَس (منی) سے تر تھا—وہی تم نے اپنے ایّامِ حیض میں پہن لیا تھا۔

Word by Word

• स्नानवस्त्रम्: bathing-cloth/garment for bathing
• स्नानवस्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular)

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

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive singular pronoun)

• भ्रातुः: of (your) brother
• भ्रातुः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine, genitive singular)

• रेतसा: with semen
• रेतसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, instrumental singular)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (relative pronoun; neuter nom/acc sg)

• परिप्लुतम्: soaked/covered (all around)
• परिप्लुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + प्लु (धातु) → परिप्लुत (कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter nom/acc sg)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (instrumental singular pronoun)

• ऋतुकाले: at the time of menstruation/season
• ऋतुकाले: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋतु (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine, locative singular)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण/विरोधबोधक-अव्यय (particle)

• परिधानम्: wearing/putting on (as a garment)
• परिधानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परि + धा (धातु) → परिधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• कृतम्: was done/made
• कृतम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle) नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे क्रियासूचक (done/was done)

• शुभे: O auspicious lady
• शुभे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (feminine vocative singular)

Speaker

Ākāśavāṇī (celestial voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis at Naimiṣāraṇya (standard Sūta frame; not explicit in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A private, tense revelation: an elder/authority figure addresses an auspicious woman, indicating a bathing cloth stained with semen and worn during her fertile season; the atmosphere is heavy with shame and impending grief.

Characters & Entities

• bhrātṛ (brother)
• ṛtu-kāla (fertile period)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas often explain life-events through subtle causality, stressing that outcomes arise from specific conditions (kāraṇa) even when socially unexpected.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is explanatory rather than geographical; the broader passage remains situated in the tīrtha narrative around the sacred Aśvattha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No prescription; it references snāna-vastra (bathing cloth) and ṛtu-kāla as narrative causes, not as recommended practice.