Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

उपसर्गभये जाते तस्य दोषः प्रशाम्यति । शनैः शनैरसंदिग्धं पिप्पलादवचो यथा

Transliteration

upasargabhaye jāte tasya doṣaḥ praśāmyati | śanaiḥ śanairasaṃdigdhaṃ pippalādavaco yathā

Translation

Wenn Furcht vor Unheil oder Seuche aufkommt, wird sein Makel besänftigt — nach und nach und ohne Zweifel, so verkündet es Pippalāda.

Word by Word

• उपसर्गभये: when fear of calamity/affliction (arises)
• उपसर्गभये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपसर्गभय (प्रातिपदिक; उपसर्ग + भय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (उपसर्गस्य भयम्)

• जाते: having arisen
• जाते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; (उपसर्गभये इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• तस्य: of him/it
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• दोषः: fault; affliction
• दोषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• प्रशाम्यति: subsides; is pacified
• प्रशाम्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + शम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शनैः: slowly
• शनैः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शनैः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• शनैः: gradually
• शनैः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शनैः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb); पुनरुक्ति (emphatic repetition)

• असंदिग्धम्: undoubtedly; certainly
• असंदिग्धम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अ + संदिग्ध (प्रातिपदिक; सन्दिह्-धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (accusative adverbial)

• पिप्पलाद्: from (the sage) Pippalāda
• पिप्पलाद्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिप्पल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन

• वचः: speech; statement
• वचः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• यथा: as; just as
• यथा: Upamana (Comparison marker/उपमान-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (comparative particle)

Speaker

Pippalāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unspecified

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Villagers fearful of an epidemic gather at the shrine; a priest recites; a peepal (aśvattha) tree motif hints at Pippalāda; the dark haze of disease slowly lifts over successive panels, replaced by clear light.

Characters & Entities

• Pippalāda
• Upasarga (affliction/epidemic)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred devotion works steadily: calamity-induced doṣas subside over time through the kṣetra’s grace and practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra/Kaṃsāreśvara as a refuge during upasargas (public and personal afflictions).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not specified in this verse; it reinforces the efficacy of the earlier-mentioned recitation/japa performed before the deity.