Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

किं वा ते बहुनोक्तेन यत्किंचिद्व्यसनं महत् । तत्तस्य व्यसनं किंचिदथर्वणः प्रकी र्तनात्

Transliteration

kiṃ vā te bahunoktena yatkiṃcidvyasanaṃ mahat | tattasya vyasanaṃ kiṃcidatharvaṇaḥ prakī rtanāt

Translation

Was soll man noch viel sagen? Welche große Heimsuchung es auch gebe, für ihn wird sie zu einer Kleinigkeit durch die Verkündigung und Rezitation der Kraft des Atharvan.

Word by Word

• किम्: what
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• वा: or; indeed
• वा: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• ते: of you; your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी) एकवचन (ते = तव) / वा चतुर्थी (4th) एकवचन; अत्र सम्भाव्यं षष्ठी—‘तव’

• बहुना: with much (talk)
• बहुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; (बहुना उक्तेन = ‘with much speaking’)

• उक्तेन: by what is said; by speech
• उक्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle) ‘उक्त’ (प्रातिपदिकवत्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• किंचित्: some; any
• किंचित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किंचित् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक (indefinite)

• व्यसनम्: misfortune; calamity
• व्यसनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• महत्: great
• महत्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; (व्यसनम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; निर्देशार्थक

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

• व्यसनम्: calamity
• व्यसनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• किंचित्: any (even a little)
• किंचित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किंचित् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अल्पार्थक

• अथर्वणः: of Atharvan; of the Atharva (Veda)
• अथर्वणः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अथर्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• प्रकीर्तनात्: from recitation/proclamation
• प्रकीर्तनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: क्तिन्/भाववाचक-प्रातिपदिक ‘प्रकीर्तन’ (verbal noun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन

Speaker

Pippalāda (contextual attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unspecified

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage-like scene: famine, war, disease, and storm depicted at the margins; at the center, devotees recite Atharvan before the deity; the disasters shrink into small, harmless symbols, emphasizing ‘vyasanaṃ kiñcit’.

Characters & Entities

• Atharvan/Atharvaveda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text magnifies Atharvavedic recitation in a sacred setting as a comprehensive shield against major misfortunes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The deity’s presence in Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (Kaṃsāreśvara context), where Atharvan recitation is held to be potent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prakīrtana/pāṭha of Atharvan (Atharvavedic) recitation as a protective rite.