Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

सर्वथा तिलवृक्षोऽयं दर्शनादेव पापहा । चातुर्मास्ये विशेषेण सेवितः सर्वसौख्यदः

Transliteration

sarvathā tilavṛkṣo'yaṃ darśanādeva pāpahā | cāturmāsye viśeṣeṇa sevitaḥ sarvasaukhyadaḥ

Translation

على كل وجهٍ، إنَّ نباتَ السِّمسمِ هذا مُزيلٌ للذنوبِ بمجردِ رؤيته. وإذا خُدِمَ واستُعمِلَ على وجهٍ خاصٍّ في زمنِ تشاتورماسيا، وهبَ كلَّ سعادةٍ.

Word by Word

• सर्वथा: in every way
• सर्वथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — क्रियाविशेषण (adverb): ‘in every way/always’

• तिलवृक्षः: the sesame plant/tree
• तिलवृक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक) + वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘तिलानां वृक्षः’ (sesame-plant/tree)

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — demonstrative pronoun

• दर्शनात्: from seeing
• दर्शनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + ल्युट् → दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन — ‘from/by (mere) seeing’

• एव: only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — अवधारण (emphasis): ‘just/only’

• पापहा: destroyer of sin
• पापहा: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + हन् (धातु) → ह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — उपपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘पापं हन्ति’ (sin-destroying)

• चातुर्मास्ये: in Cāturmāsya
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — ‘in the Cāturmāsya period’

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — ‘especially’ (instrumental of manner)

• सेवितः: when used/served
• सेवितः: Visheshana (Qualifier of ‘तिलवृक्षः’/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सेव् (धातु) + क्त (past passive participle) → सेवित
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP): ‘having been used/served’

• सर्वसौख्यदः: giver of all happiness
• सर्वसौख्यदः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + सौख्य (प्रातिपदिक) + द (प्रातिपदिक, from दा/ददाति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘सर्वस्य सौख्यस्य दः’ (giver of all happiness)

Speaker

Unspecified (Tīrthamāhātmya narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; likely a Purāṇic narrator addressing a listener)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sesame field near a village-tīrtha in monsoon season; pilgrims pause to behold the plants with folded hands; light seems to emanate from the greenery.

Characters & Entities

• Tila-vṛkṣa (sesame plant)
• Cāturmāsya
• Pāpa (sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time (Cāturmāsya) amplifies the sanctity of sacred nature (tila plant), turning simple contact into a vehicle for purification and well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse does not specify a named location; it frames the sesame plant itself as a purifying sacred presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During Cāturmāsya, actively ‘serve’ (tend/use) the sesame plant and engage with it reverently for purification and happiness.