Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

रजक उवाच । नैतत्संपत्स्यते पुत्रि यन्नीलस्य परिक्षयः । वस्त्रलग्नस्य जायेत यतः प्रोक्तं पुरातनैः

Transliteration

rajaka uvāca | naitatsaṃpatsyate putri yannīlasya parikṣayaḥ | vastralagnasya jāyeta yataḥ proktaṃ purātanaiḥ

Translation

ৰজকে ক’লে—কন্যা, এইটো ঘটিব নোৱাৰে যে বস্ত্ৰত লাগি থকা নীল ৰং নষ্ট হ’ব; কিয়নো প্ৰাচীনসকলে এইদৰে ঘোষণা কৰি গৈছে।

Word by Word

• रजकः: the washerman
• रजकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रजक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (Negation particle)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• संपत्स्यते: will happen / will come to pass
• संपत्स्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√पद् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• पुत्रि: O daughter
• पुत्रि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन (Singular)

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular), सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• नीलस्य: of the blue dye / of blue
• नीलस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नील (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Masc/Neut), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (Singular)

• परिक्षयः: complete loss / fading away
• परिक्षयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परि-क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular)

• वस्त्रलग्नस्य: of that which is stuck to the cloth
• वस्त्रलग्नस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वस्त्र-लग्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Masc/Neut), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (Singular); सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ (वस्त्रे लग्नः = attached to cloth)

• जायेत: would arise / may occur
• जायेत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• यतः: because
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (Causal indeclinable: 'because/for')

• प्रोक्तम्: has been said
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुरातनैः: by the ancients
• पुरातनैः: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Rajaka (washerman)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A washerman, holding dyed cloth, speaks to a maiden; his face shows doubt; behind them the bright reservoir is visible, inviting trial.

Characters & Entities

• rajaka (washerman)
• purātanāḥ (ancients)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human reasoning and inherited “worldly certainty” can resist tīrtha-glory; the narrative sets up faith tested by experience.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A jalāśaya (sacred water body) whose power is being debated; the precise tīrtha identification is contextual to the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite is prescribed here; it records skepticism about whether washing can remove deeply set dye—soon answered by tīrtha-prabhāva.