Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

बालमंडनके स्नात्वा शक्रेश्वरमथेक्षयेत् । यः पुमानाश्विने मासि प्राप्ते श्रवण पञ्चके । स पापैर्मुच्यते सर्वैराजन्ममरणाद्भुवि

Transliteration

bālamaṃḍanake snātvā śakreśvaramathekṣayet | yaḥ pumānāśvine māsi prāpte śravaṇa pañcake | sa pāpairmucyate sarvairājanmamaraṇādbhuvi

Translation

于巴拉曼达那沐浴之后，当瞻礼释迦罗伊湿伐罗（Śakreśvara）。凡人在阿湿毗那月、当“室罗伐那五日”（Śravaṇa-pañcaka）到来之时如此行者，便能从世间一切罪业中解脱——自生至死皆然。

Word by Word

• बालमण्डनके: at Bālamaṇḍanaka (tīrtha/place)
• बालमण्डनके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालमण्डनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative of place)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल (having done)

• शक्रेश्वरम्: Śakreśvara (name of deity/linga)
• शक्रेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्रेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereafter)

• ईक्षयेत्: should behold/see
• ईक्षयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• पुमान्: a man
• पुमान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्ता

• आश्विने: in the Āśvina (month)
• आश्विने: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आश्विन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; 'मासि' इत्यस्य विशेषण

• मासि: in the month
• मासि: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण (time-locative)

• प्राप्ते: when (it has) arrived
• प्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• श्रवण: Śravaṇa (nakṣatra)
• श्रवण: Samasa-anga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रवण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद (name of nakṣatra)

• पञ्चके: in the five-day period (pañcaka)
• पञ्चके: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; 'श्रवणपञ्चके' इति समासार्थे कालाधिकरण

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; अन्वय-प्रदर्शक (correlative pronoun)

• पापैः: from sins
• पापैः: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; अपादानार्थे/हेतौ (from/by sins)

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• सर्वैः: all
• सर्वैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; 'पापैः' इत्यस्य विशेषण

• आ-जन्य-मरणात्: from (the cycle of) birth and death
• आ-जन्य-मरणात्: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ-जन्य-मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (from birth-and-death [cycle])

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (on earth)

Speaker

Sūta (quoting Nārada)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bālamaṇḍana; Śakreśvara (darśana)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim completes a river/pond bath at Bālamaṇḍana, wrings wet cloth, applies tilaka, then walks with folded hands toward a Śiva-liṅga shrine of Śakreśvara; autumnal Āśvina light, temple flags, and a small procession atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Bālamaṇḍana (Tīrtha)
• Śakreśvara (Śiva)
• Āśvina (month)
• Śravaṇa-pañcaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When undertaken at the right sacred time, tīrtha-bathing joined with Śiva-darśana is portrayed as a total life-long purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bālamaṇḍana tīrtha and the Śakreśvara shrine associated with it.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathe at Bālamaṇḍana and take darśana of Śakreśvara, especially in Āśvina during the Śravaṇa-pañcaka period.