Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

दिनाष्टकं न कर्तव्या तस्य पीडा कथंचन । यस्त्वां लोहमयं कृत्वा तैलमध्ये ह्यधोमुखम्

Transliteration

dināṣṭakaṃ na kartavyā tasya pīḍā kathaṃcana | yastvāṃ lohamayaṃ kṛtvā tailamadhye hyadhomukham

Translation

In seinem Fall soll acht Tage lang keinerlei Bedrängnis verursacht werden, auf keine Weise. Und auch wer, indem er ein Bildnis von dir aus Eisen fertigt, es mit dem Antlitz nach unten mitten ins Öl legt—

Word by Word

• dina-aṣṭakam: for eight days; an eight-day period
• dina-aṣṭakam: Karma (Extent/परिमाण-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक) + aṣṭaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (aṣṭau dināni = eight days/for eight days)

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• kartavyā: should be done
• kartavyā: Kriya (Obligation predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kartavya (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; agrees with pīḍā

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• pīḍā: affliction
• pīḍā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pīḍā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kathaṃcana: in any way; at all
• kathaṃcana: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kathaṃcana (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकार/परिमाणवाचक; emphatic ‘in any way/at all’)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tvām: you
• tvām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया, एकवचन

• lohamayam: made of iron
• lohamayam: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: loha (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (lohasya vikāraḥ/loheṇa nirmitam = made of iron)

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kṛtvā (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभाव (gerund), ‘having made/done’

• taila-madhye: in oil; in the middle of oil
• taila-madhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taila (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (tailasya madhye = in the middle of oil)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; emphasis/indeed)

• adhomukham: face-down; with face downward
• adhomukham: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhaḥ (अव्यय) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (adhaḥ-mukhaḥ = face downward)

Speaker

Pippalāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śani (implied continuation)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual setup: a dark iron icon of Śani is lowered face-down into a vessel of oil; the devotee stands with controlled reverence, indicating an eight-day protective window.

Characters & Entities

• Śanaiścara
• Iron (loha)
• Oil (taila)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma often couples devotion with symbolic acts; material symbols (iron, oil) are used to ritually ‘cool’ or restrain harsh planetary influence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a practical graha-śānti instruction within the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Making a loha (iron) form of Śanaiścara and placing it adho-mukha (face-down) in oil; additionally, a stated period of non-affliction for eight days.