Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

तत्रास्त्यायतनं पुण्यं देवदेवस्य शूलिनः । तत्र जागरणं रात्रौ प्रारब्धं बहुभिर्ज्जनैः

Transliteration

tatrāstyāyatanaṃ puṇyaṃ devadevasya śūlinaḥ | tatra jāgaraṇaṃ rātrau prārabdhaṃ bahubhirjjanaiḥ

Translation

সেখানে দেবদেব শূলিন (ভগবান শিব)-এর এক পবিত্র মন্দির ছিল; আর সেখানে বহু লোক রাত্রিজাগরণ শুরু করল।

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• आयतनम्: abode/shrine
• आयतनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पुण्यम्: holy/meritorious
• पुण्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘आयतनम्’ इति विशेषण

• देवदेवस्य: of the god of gods
• देवदेवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानां देवः)

• शूलिनः: of the trident-bearer (Śiva)
• शूलिनः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूलिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; ‘देवदेवस्य’ इति समानाधिकरण-विशेषण (epithet)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक

• जागरणम्: night vigil/keeping awake
• जागरणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• प्रारब्धम्: begun/undertaken
• प्रारब्धम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आ-रभ् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘जागरणम्’ इत्यस्य विधेय (begun)

• बहुभिः: by many
• बहुभिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; ‘जनैः’ इति विशेषण

• जनैः: by people
• जनैः: Karana/Agent-instrument (Instrumental agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; traditionally Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śiva-āyatana at Naimiṣāraṇya (unnamed)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: assembled listeners (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred Śiva sanctuary at night: crowds of devotees begin the vigil, lamps flicker, bells ring softly, and the liṅga shrine stands luminous as the community gathers in devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Śūlin

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Association with a holy shrine and participation in collective worship—especially the Śivarātri vigil—creates strong merit (puṇya).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A local sacred Śiva-āyatana within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya setting; the passage emphasizes the sanctity of the shrine as a tīrtha-space.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Jāgaraṇa (staying awake in devotional vigil) during the night, characteristic of Śivarātri observance.