Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

तया सर्वमभिप्रायं ज्ञात्वा मे दुःखहेतुकम् । ततः संदर्शयामास स्थिताग्रे स्वजलाशयम्

Transliteration

tayā sarvamabhiprāyaṃ jñātvā me duḥkhahetukam | tataḥ saṃdarśayāmāsa sthitāgre svajalāśayam

Translation

Als sie meinen ganzen Vorsatz und die Ursache meines Kummers erkannt hatte, zeigte sie mir daraufhin ihr eigenes Wasserbecken, das nahe vor uns lag.

Word by Word

• tayā: by her
• tayā: Kartr̥ (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instr.), एकवचन

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Acc.), एकवचन

• abhiprāyam: intention/purpose
• abhiprāyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhiprāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• jñātvā: having understood
• jñātvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (धातु) → jñātvā (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभावरूप कृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): 'having known'

• me: my/of me
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (Gen.) एकवचन (enclitic)

• duḥkha-hetukam: the cause of (my) sorrow
• duḥkha-hetukam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + hetuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'दुःखस्य हेतुः' (cause of sorrow)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kala (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereupon)

• saṃdarśayāmāsa: showed (made to see)
• saṃdarśayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam√dṛś (धातु) (causative)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative): 'दर्शयामास' = showed

• sthita-agre: in front
• sthita-agre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sthita (कृदन्त) + agre (अव्यय/सुबन्त)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव: 'अग्रे स्थितम्' → 'स्थिताग्रे' (in front/at the fore); अव्ययवत् प्रयोग

• sva-jalāśayam: her own pond/water-reservoir
• sva-jalāśayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + jalāśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'स्वस्य जलाशयः' (one's own pond/reservoir)

Speaker

Rajaka (continuing his account)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The fisherwoman’s daughter gestures toward a nearby water-reservoir in the foreground—clear water, steps/embankment visible—while the distressed party looks on with hope as the solution is revealed.

Characters & Entities

• jalāśaya (pond/reservoir)
• dāśakanyā (implied)
• rajaka (narrator)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine help in Purāṇic stories often comes through ordinary people who reveal sacred resources at the right time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A local jalāśaya (pond) functioning as a tīrtha is indicated; the text snippet does not provide its formal name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied use of the water-reservoir for cleansing/purification, developed in the next verse.