Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

दिनाष्टकं न कर्तव्या तस्य पीडा कथंचन । यस्त्वां लोहमयं कृत्वा तैलमध्ये ह्यधोमुखम्

Transliteration

dināṣṭakaṃ na kartavyā tasya pīḍā kathaṃcana | yastvāṃ lohamayaṃ kṛtvā tailamadhye hyadhomukham

Translation

তার ক্ষেত্রে আট দিন কোনোভাবেই পীড়া করা উচিত নয়। আর যে তোমার লৌহময় প্রতিমা নির্মাণ করে তেলের মধ্যে অধোমুখে স্থাপন করে—

Word by Word

• dina-aṣṭakam: for eight days; an eight-day period
• dina-aṣṭakam: Karma (Extent/परिमाण-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक) + aṣṭaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (aṣṭau dināni = eight days/for eight days)

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• kartavyā: should be done
• kartavyā: Kriya (Obligation predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kartavya (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; agrees with pīḍā

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• pīḍā: affliction
• pīḍā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pīḍā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kathaṃcana: in any way; at all
• kathaṃcana: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kathaṃcana (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकार/परिमाणवाचक; emphatic ‘in any way/at all’)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tvām: you
• tvām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया, एकवचन

• lohamayam: made of iron
• lohamayam: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: loha (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (lohasya vikāraḥ/loheṇa nirmitam = made of iron)

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kṛtvā (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभाव (gerund), ‘having made/done’

• taila-madhye: in oil; in the middle of oil
• taila-madhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taila (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (tailasya madhye = in the middle of oil)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; emphasis/indeed)

• adhomukham: face-down; with face downward
• adhomukham: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhaḥ (अव्यय) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (adhaḥ-mukhaḥ = face downward)

Speaker

Pippalāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śani (implied continuation)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual setup: a dark iron icon of Śani is lowered face-down into a vessel of oil; the devotee stands with controlled reverence, indicating an eight-day protective window.

Characters & Entities

• Śanaiścara
• Iron (loha)
• Oil (taila)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma often couples devotion with symbolic acts; material symbols (iron, oil) are used to ritually ‘cool’ or restrain harsh planetary influence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a practical graha-śānti instruction within the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Making a loha (iron) form of Śanaiścara and placing it adho-mukha (face-down) in oil; additionally, a stated period of non-affliction for eight days.