Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

शीघ्रं निःसर पापिष्ठ निःसरिष्यसि चेन्न हि । क्षणात्तव पुरं क्षेप्स्ये पावित्र्यायैव सागरे

Transliteration

śīghraṃ niḥsara pāpiṣṭha niḥsariṣyasi cenna hi | kṣaṇāttava puraṃ kṣepsye pāvitryāyaiva sāgare

Translation

„Komm schnell heraus, du Sündigster—kommst du nicht heraus, so werde ich in einem Augenblick deine Stadt ins Meer schleudern, zur Läuterung.“

Word by Word

• śīghram: quickly
• śīghram: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śīghra (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभावेन)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• niḥsara: come out, depart
• niḥsara: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: niḥ√sṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• pāpiṣṭha: O most sinful one
• pāpiṣṭha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpin (प्रातिपदिक) + iṣṭha (तरप्/तमप्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; तमप्-प्रत्ययान्त (superlative)

• niḥsariṣyasi: you will come out
• niḥsariṣyasi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: niḥ√sṛ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्काल), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• cet: if
• cet: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cet (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (if)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• kṣaṇāt: in a moment
• kṣaṇāt: Apadana (Time-from/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान/काल-सीमा), एकवचन; ‘क्षणात्’ = ‘in a moment/from a moment’

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• puram: city
• puram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• kṣepsye: I will hurl/throw
• kṣepsye: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṣip (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्काल), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• pāvitryāya: for purification
• pāvitryāya: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāvitrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन), एकवचन

• eva: indeed, only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphasis ‘only/indeed’)

• sāgare: in the ocean
• sāgare: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

Speaker

Dhanañjaya (envoy) (threatening ultimatum)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sāgara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāpiṣṭha (the sinful Dānava/Daitya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stern divine command: the sinful one must exit immediately or his entire city will be hurled into the ocean for purification; the sea looms as a vast cleansing force.

Characters & Entities

• Ocean (Sāgara)
• Asura city (Pura)
• Dānava (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When adharma refuses counsel, decisive action follows; destruction is framed as restoring purity and cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No; “ocean” is mentioned as a cosmic purifier, not as a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; “purification” is metaphorical/cosmic rather than a stated ritual.