Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

अक्षमालाधृतकरो जपन्मंत्रमनेकधा । अभीष्टं श्रद्धया युक्तो विधाय पितृतर्पणम्

Transliteration

akṣamālādhṛtakaro japanmaṃtramanekadhā | abhīṣṭaṃ śraddhayā yukto vidhāya pitṛtarpaṇam

Translation

হাতত অক্ষমালা ধৰি তেওঁ নানা প্ৰকাৰৰে মন্ত্র জপ কৰিছিল; শ্ৰদ্ধাযুক্ত হৈ পিতৃ-তৰ্পণ কৰি, ইষ্টকৃত্য সম্পন্ন কৰিলে।

Word by Word

• akṣamālā-dhṛta-karaḥ: whose hand holds a rosary
• akṣamālā-dhṛta-karaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akṣa-mālā + dhṛta (√dhṛ) + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; समासः (तत्पुरुष) ‘अक्षमालया धृतः करः यस्य’ (hand holding a rosary)

• japan: chanting
• japan: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jap (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle/वर्तमानकर्तरि कृदन्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘chanting’

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

• anekadhā: in many ways, repeatedly
• anekadhā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aneka-dhā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb of manner); समासः (अव्ययीभाव) = aneka (many) + dhā (in ways)

• abhīṣṭam: the desired (result)
• abhīṣṭam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhīṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular; ‘desired (thing)’

• śraddhayā: with faith
• śraddhayā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śraddhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• yuktaḥ: endowed (with), possessed
• yuktaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yuj (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘endowed/connected’

• vidhāya: having performed
• vidhāya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhā + vi (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/ल्यप्), अव्ययभाव — ‘having performed/done’

• pitṛ-tarpaṇam: offering of satisfaction to the ancestors (pitṛ-tarpaṇa)
• pitṛ-tarpaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ + tarpaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular; समासः (तत्पुरुष) ‘पितॄणां तर्पणम्’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Jābāli seated facing the water, rosary in hand, lips moving in mantra; beside him a small water-vessel; he offers tarpaṇa with cupped hands toward the reservoir.

Characters & Entities

• Jābāli
• Akṣamālā (rosary)
• Mantra-japa
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha practice is not mere travel—faithful japa and honoring ancestors (pitṛ-tarpaṇa) are core acts of Purāṇic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The sacred waterside where Jābāli performs japa and pitṛ-tarpaṇa; the verse does not supply the tīrtha’s proper name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mantra-japa with a rosary (akṣamālā) and pitṛ-tarpaṇa (offerings to ancestors) are explicitly mentioned.