Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

अहं तपश्चरिष्यामि पूजयिष्यामि शंकरम् । तावद्यावत्प्रणाशो मे कुष्ठव्याधेर्भविष्यति

Transliteration

ahaṃ tapaścariṣyāmi pūjayiṣyāmi śaṃkaram | tāvadyāvatpraṇāśo me kuṣṭhavyādherbhaviṣyati

Translation

„Ich werde Tapas, strenge Askese, üben und Śaṅkara verehren, bis meine Aussatzkrankheit gänzlich vernichtet ist.“

Word by Word

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (कर्मरूपेण)

• चरिष्यामि: will practice
• चरिष्यामि: Kriya (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पूजयिष्यामि: will worship
• पूजयिष्यामि: Kriya (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शंकरम्: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शंकरम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Extent/limit)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/कालवाचक): ‘so long/that much’

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Limit)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध/सीमा): ‘until/as long as’

• प्रणाशः: destruction; disappearance
• प्रणाशः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रणाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मे: of me; my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (enclitic)

• कुष्ठ-व्याधेः: of the leprosy-disease
• कुष्ठ-व्याधेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; ‘कुष्ठरूपस्य व्याधेः’

• भविष्यति: will occur; will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

King (pārthiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king, humbled by disease, raises his hands in resolve before a Śiva-liṅga or toward the sky, declaring he will do tapas and worship Śaṅkara until the kuṣṭha is destroyed.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• tapas
• pūjā
• kuṣṭha-vyādhi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion (pūjā) and disciplined austerity (tapas) directed to Śiva are presented as purifying forces that remove suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative leads to Śaṅkhatīrtha, where the king’s vow finds fruition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Practice tapas and perform Śaṅkara-pūjā until the affliction is removed.