Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

सा तथैति प्रतिज्ञाय नित्यं व्रतपरायणा । अष्टषष्टिसु तीर्थेषु वाराणस्यादिषु क्रमात्

Transliteration

sā tathaiti pratijñāya nityaṃ vrataparāyaṇā | aṣṭaṣaṣṭisu tīrtheṣu vārāṇasyādiṣu kramāt

Translation

Nàng thuận theo, lập lời thệ nguyện ấy, ngày ngày chuyên tâm trì giới; rồi theo thứ tự, nàng đi đến sáu mươi tám tīrtha—khởi đầu từ Vārāṇasī và các nơi khác nữa.

Word by Word

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• eti: goes/sets out
• eti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √i (इ)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• pratijñāya: having vowed/promised
• pratijñāya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-√jñā (ज्ञा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: always)

• vrata-parāyaṇā: devoted to vows
• vrata-parāyaṇā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक) + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (व्रते परायणा)

• aṣṭa-ṣaṣṭisu: in the sixty-eight
• aṣṭa-ṣaṣṭisu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + ṣaṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (संख्या), सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (संख्याद्वन्द्वः)

• tīrtheṣu: in the sacred places
• tīrtheṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन

• vārāṇasī-ādiṣu: in (places) beginning with Vārāṇasī
• vārāṇasī-ādiṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (आदि-शब्दः), सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (वाराṇस्याः आदयः = वाराṇसी-आदि)

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

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) as ādi-sthāna in the aṣṭaṣaṣṭi-tīrtha-krama

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A steadfast sādhvī takes a vow and sets out; the first vista is Vārāṇasī’s ghāṭas with rising sun over Gaṅgā, then a procession-like journey unfolding in sequence.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A vow becomes effective through sustained practice—regular observance and orderly pilgrimage embody sincere repentance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) is explicitly named as the beginning of the tīrtha-sequence, highlighting its primacy in pilgrimage culture.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription here is practical: undertake the tīrtha-circuit in order while remaining steadfast in daily vrata observance.