Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

ततस्तेन शुभं मंत्रं प्रोच्याभीष्टं जलं स्वयम् । अभिषिच्य च तत्काष्ठं ततश्च स्वगृहं ययौ

Transliteration

tatastena śubhaṃ maṃtraṃ procyābhīṣṭaṃ jalaṃ svayam | abhiṣicya ca tatkāṣṭhaṃ tataśca svagṛhaṃ yayau

Translation

ثم تلا ذلك المانترا المبارك، وأخذ بنفسه الماء المرغوب؛ وبعد أن أجرى الأبهِشيكا على تلك القطعة من الخشب، انصرف بعدها إلى بيته.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (ततः)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (then)

• tena: by him
• tena: Karta (Agent in absolutive context/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (mantram इति)

• mantram: mantra
• mantram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• procya: having uttered
• procya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्ययभाव; ‘प्रोच्य’ = उच्चार्य/उक्त्वा (having uttered)

• abhīṣṭam: desired/appropriate
• abhīṣṭam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhīṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (jalam इति)

• jalam: water
• jalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Karta (Emphatic agent/कर्तृ-प्रबलन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्वयम् (oneself)

• abhiṣicya: having sprinkled/consecrated
• abhiṣicya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-√sic (सिच् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्ययभाव; ‘अभिषिच्य’ = अभिषेकं कृत्वा (having consecrated/sprinkled)

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

• tat-kāṣṭham: that piece of wood
• tat-kāṣṭham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kāṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (सर्वनामपूर्वपद) — ‘तत् काष्ठम्’

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (ततः)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (then)

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

• sva-gṛham: his own house
• sva-gṛham: Karma (Goal as object of motion/गन्तव्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) — ‘स्वस्य गृहम्’

• yayau: went
• yayau: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (या धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, unspecified in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The officiant recites a mantra and pours water in a steady stream over the wooden object bearing the sacred form; afterward he departs toward his home, leaving the consecrated object behind.

Characters & Entities

• Mantra
• Abhiṣeka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right ritual, performed with mantra and faith, is presented as a direct means of restoring sanctity and auspicious order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The larger chapter is a tīrtha-māhātmya, but this verse alone does not specify the site’s name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mantra-japa followed by abhiṣeka using water chosen for the rite (abhīṣṭa-jala).