Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा ज्ञात्वा तं गतकल्मषम् । उत्तार्य शनकैः शूलाद्विनयावनतं स्थितम्

Transliteration

tasya tadvacanaṃ śrutvā jñātvā taṃ gatakalmaṣam | uttārya śanakaiḥ śūlādvinayāvanataṃ sthitam

Translation

فلما سمع قوله وعلم أنه قد تخلّص من الدنس، (الربّ) أنزله برفقٍ رويدًا من الرمح الثلاثي؛ فوقف هناك مطأطئًا في تواضع.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/its
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive/6th), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम-शब्दः

• तत्-वचनम्: that speech/that statement
• तत्-वचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुष-समासः (तस्य वचनम्)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया

• ज्ञात्वा: having known/understood
• ज्ञात्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम-शब्दः

• गत-कल्मषम्: freed from sin/whose impurity has gone
• गत-कल्मषम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गत (गम् धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त) + कल्मष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (गतं कल्मषं यस्य/यः)

• उत्तार्य: having lifted up/rescued
• उत्तार्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत्-तॄ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); causative sense possible by context ‘having lifted/raised up’

• शनकैः: slowly
• शनकैः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोगः (Adverbial instrumental form used as indeclinable): ‘slowly, gradually’

• शूलात्: from the trident/stake
• शूलात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (Ablative/5th), एकवचनम्

• विनय-अवनतम्: bowed down in humility
• विनय-अवनतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनय (प्रातिपदिक) + अवनत (अव-नम् धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (विनयेन अवनतः)

• स्थितम्: standing/remaining
• स्थितम्: Visheshana (Predicative qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past passive participle); पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘standing/remaining’

Speaker

Narrative voice within the Māhātmya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva, having heard the devotee’s plea and recognized his sinlessness, gently lifts him down from the trident; the devotee stands bowed, hands folded, overwhelmed by grace.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (implied)
• Śūla (trident)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When repentance is genuine and impurity is gone, divine grace actively uplifts and restores the devotee.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this shloka; the verse belongs to a wider tīrtha-glorification narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse depicts divine intervention and the devotee’s vinaya (humble posture).