Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

यथा स्यात्पूर्वजं देहं तिर्यक्त्वं नश्यते यथा । प्रसादात्तव विप्रेंद्र तथा नीतिर्विधीयताम्

Transliteration

yathā syātpūrvajaṃ dehaṃ tiryaktvaṃ naśyate yathā | prasādāttava vipreṃdra tathā nītirvidhīyatām

Translation

„O Bester der Brāhmaṇas, ordne aus deiner Gnade den rechten Weg, damit ich meinen früheren Leib wiedererlange und dieser Tierzustand vernichtet werde.“

Word by Word

• यथा: as/so that
• यथा: Modifier (सम्बन्ध-निर्देशक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (comparative/relative adverb)

• स्यात्: may be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पूर्वजम्: former/previous
• पूर्वजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-सम्भव; द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन; ‘देहम्’ विशेषणम्

• देहम्: body
• देहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन

• तिर्यक्त्वम्: animal state; being a beast
• तिर्यक्त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिर्यक्त्व (प्रातिपदिक; तिर्यक् + त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (Nominative); एकवचन

• नश्यते: perishes/is destroyed
• नश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Modifier (सम्बन्ध-निर्देशक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्त-उपमानार्थे (as/just as)

• प्रसादात्: from (your) grace
• प्रसादात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (Ablative); एकवचन

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (Genitive); एकवचन

• विप्र-इन्द्र: O best of Brahmins
• विप्र-इन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (विप्राणाम् इन्द्रः); पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative); एकवचन

• तथा: thus; in that way
• तथा: Modifier (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/तुल्यतावाचक (thus/so)

• नीतिः: means; procedure; course
• नीतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (Nominative); एकवचन

• विधीयताम्: let it be arranged/ordained
• विधीयताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + धा (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative) कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

Speaker

Mahīṣa (the cursed one, speaking to Śukra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The buffalo-form supplicant speaks with folded humility before Śukra, the words visually suggested by a gentle gesture toward the heart and then upward—seeking restoration of the former body through grace.

Characters & Entities

• Śukra
• vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• tiryaktva (animal state)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even when bound by a curse, one should seek a dharmic remedy through devotion and the grace of the wise.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The larger passage belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya within Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated here; it is a plea for a prescribed ‘nīti’ (right means) through the brāhmaṇa’s grace.