Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

स्नानं चक्रुर्विधानेन तीर्थेषु द्विजसत्तमाः । भ्रांत्वाभ्रांत्वा सुपुण्येषु श्रुत्वाश्रुत्वा द्विजन्मनाम्

Transliteration

snānaṃ cakrurvidhānena tīrtheṣu dvijasattamāḥ | bhrāṃtvābhrāṃtvā supuṇyeṣu śrutvāśrutvā dvijanmanām

Translation

افضل ترین دِویجوں نے قاعدے کے مطابق تیرتھوں میں اسنان کیا؛ نہایت پُنیہ مقامات میں بار بار گھومے، اور برہمنوں کی تعلیمات کو بار بار سنتے رہے۔

Word by Word

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular (object)

• चक्रुः: performed, did
• चक्रुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद; Perfect, 3rd person plural

• विधानेन: according to rule/ritual procedure
• विधानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• तीर्थेषु: at sacred fords/holy places
• तीर्थेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Locative plural

• द्विजसत्तमाः: the best of the twice-born (brahmins)
• द्विजसत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (द्विजानां सत्तमाः) ‘best among twice-born’; Nominative plural (subject)

• भ्रान्त्वा: having wandered
• भ्रान्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having wandered’

• अभ्रान्त्वा: having roamed about
• अभ्रान्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having wandered about’

• सुपुण्येषु: in very holy (places)
• सुपुण्येषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक; समास/उपसर्ग)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/उपपद-समास (सु-पुण्य) ‘very holy’; Locative plural; विशेषण (तीर्थेषु)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having heard’

• अश्रुत्वा: having listened (well), having heard again
• अश्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having heard (repeatedly/fully)’

• द्विजन्मनाम्: of the twice-born (brahmins)
• द्विजन्मनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (द्वि-जन्म) ‘twice-born’; Genitive plural

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Tīrthamāhātmya; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims bathing at stepped ghats and small kundas, then walking through groves to another sacred spot; nearby Brahmins recite and explain tīrtha-māhātmya, with listeners seated attentively.

Characters & Entities

• tīrtha
• snāna
• dvija (twice-born)
• Brahmin teachers

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is both outer and inner: disciplined bathing in tīrthas and attentive listening to dharma-teachings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Multiple tīrthas within the Adhyāya 72 kṣetra are implied; the verse highlights a network of supuṇya spots.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīrtha-snāna ‘vidhānena’ (according to proper procedure) and śravaṇa (listening) to learned dvijas.