Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

यावद्गुर्वीं चितां कृत्वा तमन्वेष्टुं समुद्यताः । तावन्नष्टं शवं तच्च ज्ञायते नैव कुत्रचित्

Transliteration

yāvadgurvīṃ citāṃ kṛtvā tamanveṣṭuṃ samudyatāḥ | tāvannaṣṭaṃ śavaṃ tacca jñāyate naiva kutracit

Translation

Doch sobald sie einen festen, schweren Scheiterhaufen errichtet und sich aufgemacht hatten, ihn zu suchen, war der Leichnam verschwunden—und nirgends war er zu finden.

Word by Word

• yāvat: until/as long as
• yāvat: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (यावत्-तावत्-संबन्धः) = as long as/until

• gurvīm: large/heavy
• gurvīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् चिताम् प्रति

• citām: funeral pyre
• citām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (क्त्वान्त) = having made

• tam: that (corpse)/him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• anveṣṭum: to search for
• anveṣṭum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu-√iṣ (धातु) + tumun (तुमुन्)
• Form: कृदन्त (तुमुनन्त/infinitive) = to search

• samudyatāḥ: were ready/set out
• samudyatāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ud-√yam (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; 'having set out/ready'

• tāvat: by then
• tāvat: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (यावत्-तावत्-संबन्धः) = by that time/so long

• naṣṭam: missing/vanished
• naṣṭam: Karta (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: naṣṭa (√naś धातु + क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र विशेषणम् शवम् प्रति

• śavam: corpse
• śavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र 'तत् शवम्' इति पुनरुक्ति-निर्देशः

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/and)

• jñāyate: is known
• jñāyate: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु) passive (कर्मणि) + laṭ (लट्)
• Form: तिङन्त, लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive) = is known/ascertained

• na: not
• na: Avyaya (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध)

• eva: at all
• eva: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) = at all/indeed; 'na eva' = not at all

• kutracit: anywhere
• kutracit: Adhikarana (Locative/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kutracit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक-अनिश्चित/indefinite locative adverb) = anywhere

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A completed, heavy funeral pyre stands ready; brāhmaṇas turn back to fetch the body—only to find the spot empty. Their faces show shock and reverence; the liṅga remains steady in the background.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Māhātmya signals extraordinary sanctity: the devotee’s end is marked by a miracle that transcends ordinary death-ritual expectations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya cycle in Nāgara-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Construction of a funeral pyre (citā) for cremation is described, though the rite is interrupted by the miraculous disappearance.