Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तत्र कालवशान्नष्टास्तेऽपि प्राप्ता दिवालयम् । यस्तत्र व्रतहीनोऽपि कृषिकर्मरतोऽपि वा

Transliteration

tatra kālavaśānnaṣṭāste'pi prāptā divālayam | yastatra vratahīno'pi kṛṣikarmarato'pi vā

Translation

Dort gelangten selbst jene, die unter der Macht der Zeit zugrunde gingen, zur Wohnstatt der Götter. Wahrlich, wer immer dort weilt—selbst ohne Gelübde, selbst nur dem Ackerwerk hingegeben—…

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb of place: 'there')

• कालवशात्: due to the power of time
• कालवशात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल + वश (प्रातिपदिक); काल-वश- (समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (cause: 'due to')

• नष्टाः: perished; lost
• नष्टाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नष्ट (प्रातिपदिक); नश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• अपि: also; even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अप्यर्थक निपात (particle: 'also/even')

• प्राप्ताः: reached; attained
• प्राप्ताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle) 'प्राप्त'; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; वाक्ये क्रियास्थानी (finite sense: 'reached')

• दिवालयम्: the abode of heaven
• दिवालयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव + आलय (प्रातिपदिक); दिव-आलय- (समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb of place: 'there')

• व्रतहीनः: devoid of vows
• व्रतहीनः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्रत + हीन (प्रातिपदिक); व्रत-हीन- (समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अप्यर्थक निपात (particle: 'even')

• कृषिकर्मरतः: engaged in agricultural work
• कृषिकर्मरतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृषि + कर्म + रत (प्रातिपदिक); कृषि-कर्म-रत- (समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• अपि: even; also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अप्यर्थक निपात (particle: 'even/also')

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विकल्पार्थक निपात (disjunctive particle: 'or')

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A humble farmer with plough stands near the sacred precinct; in the background, a funeral procession or a person’s last breath is shown gently, with a luminous path leading upward to a celestial city (divālaya), indicating grace beyond formal vows.

Characters & Entities

• Diva-ālaya (heaven)
• Vrata (vows)
• Kṛṣi (agriculture)
• Kṣetra (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The kṣetra’s sanctity extends mercy broadly—granting uplift even to ordinary people lacking formal vows.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Adhyāya 16 kṣetra under praise (contextually tied to Raktaśṛṅga/Hāṭakeśvara).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse underscores that even without vrata, mere association/residence in the kṣetra brings great fruit.