Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

ततस्ते ब्राह्मणाः सर्वे क्रमात्तत्र निमज्जनम् । चक्रुः शुद्धिं गताश्चापि मुक्त्वैकं ब्राह्मणं तदा

Transliteration

tataste brāhmaṇāḥ sarve kramāttatra nimajjanam | cakruḥ śuddhiṃ gatāścāpi muktvaikaṃ brāhmaṇaṃ tadā

Translation

Rồi tất cả các bà-la-môn ấy lần lượt lặn mình tại đó. Họ cũng đạt được sự thanh tịnh, chỉ trừ lại một bà-la-môn vào lúc bấy giờ.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/अनन्तरार्थक (temporal adverb: 'thereupon/then')

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/सर्वलिङ्गे; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (plural) — 'they'

• brāhmaṇāḥ: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• sarve: all
• sarve: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• kramāt: in sequence
• kramāt: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb); क्रमशः/अनुक्रमेण (in order, successively)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locative/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb: 'there')

• nimajjanam: immersion, bathing (dipping)
• nimajjanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nimajjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• cakruḥ: they performed/did
• cakruḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• śuddhim: purification
• śuddhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śuddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• gatāḥ: having attained (purity)
• gatāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु) + gata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; 'having gone/attained'

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

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/अपि-कारक अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• muktvā: having left (aside)
• muktvā: Kriya (Non-finite action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muc (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); 'having left/omitted'

• ekam: one
• ekam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• brāhmaṇam: a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• tadā: at that time
• tadā: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb: 'at that time')

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) (implied from narrative flow)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A line of brāhmaṇas, each stepping into a sacred waterbody in sequence; most emerge serene and radiant, while one remains apart, hesitating or left behind, foreshadowing an anomaly.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Kuṇḍa (implied)
• One excluded brāhmaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It reinforces the tīrtha principle: orderly immersion and sincere participation in prescribed acts leads to purification, while unresolved issues may isolate an individual.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The kuṇḍa used for immersion in this Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative is being praised; the verse does not name it explicitly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nimajjana (ritual immersion) is performed sequentially by the brāhmaṇas as a means of śuddhi (purification).