Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यस्तत्र कार्तिके मासि कृत्तिकास्थे निशाकरे । मध्याह्ने कुरुते स्नानं स गच्छति परां गतिम्

Transliteration

yastatra kārtike māsi kṛttikāsthe niśākare | madhyāhne kurute snānaṃ sa gacchati parāṃ gatim

Translation

جو کوئی وہاں کارتک کے مہینے میں، جب چاند کِرتِکا نَکشتر میں ہو، دوپہر کے وقت اشنان کرے—وہ اعلیٰ ترین گتی کو پا لیتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• यः: whoever
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine nominative singular)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशार्थे (adverb of place)

• कार्तिके: in (the month of) Kārttika
• कार्तिके: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; मास-विशेषण (locative singular; qualifying 'māsi')

• मासि: in the month
• मासि: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masculine locative singular)

• कृत्तिकास्थे: when (the moon) is in Kṛttikā (lunar mansion)
• कृत्तिकास्थे: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत्तिका-स्थ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण (locative singular; qualifying 'niśākare')

• निशाकरे: when the moon (night-maker) is (so placed)
• निशाकरे: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशा-कर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masculine locative singular)

• मध्याह्ने: at midday
• मध्याह्ने: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्याह्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masculine locative singular)

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (present, 3rd person singular, middle)

• स्नानम्: bath
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter accusative singular)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine nominative singular)

• गच्छति: goes/attains
• गच्छति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (present, 3rd person singular)

• पराम्: supreme
• पराम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (feminine accusative singular; qualifying 'gatim')

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

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara-traya

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At noon under a bright Kārttika sky, pilgrims descend ghats into one of the Puṣkara pools; the moon-in-Kṛttikā is symbolically shown (crescent with star cluster motif) despite daytime, indicating astrological sanctity; a radiant path suggests ‘parā gati’.

Characters & Entities

• Kārttika (month)
• Kṛttikā (nakṣatra)
• Puṣkara-traya (implied tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right timing (Kārttika and Kṛttikā) combined with tīrtha-bathing is portrayed as a direct means to the highest spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse refers to bathing “there,” i.e., at the Puṣkara-traya tīrtha introduced in the immediately preceding passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna (ritual bathing) at midday during Kārttika when the moon is in Kṛttikā.