Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

नृगेण तु यथा यज्ञो वालुकाभिर्विनिर्मितः । कूपान्तः क्षिप्यमाणेन तृणलोष्टांबुवर्जितम्

Transliteration

nṛgeṇa tu yathā yajño vālukābhirvinirmitaḥ | kūpāntaḥ kṣipyamāṇena tṛṇaloṣṭāṃbuvarjitam

Translation

Ich erinnerte mich daran, wie im Falle König Nṛgas ein Opfer (Yajña) aus bloßem Sand bereitet wurde—als man ihn in den Grund eines Brunnens warf, ohne Gras, ohne Erdklumpen, ja sogar ohne Wasser.

Word by Word

• नृगेण: by Nṛga
• नृगेण: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक (particle)

• यथा: as/how
• यथा: Avyaya (Connector/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (comparative/conj.)

• यज्ञः: sacrifice
• यज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• वालुकाभिः: with sand
• वालुकाभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वालुका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• विनिर्मितः: was constructed
• विनिर्मितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-निर्-मा धातु (मा) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपसर्गौ—वि-, निर्-

• कूपान्तः: the inside/end of a well
• कूपान्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूप-अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—कूपस्य अन्तः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• क्षिप्यमाणेन: by (something) being thrown
• क्षिप्यमाणेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षिप् धातु (क्षिप्) + यमान (कृदन्त; कर्मणि वर्तमानकाले)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; कर्मणि वर्तमानकृदन्त (passive present participle)

• तृणलोष्टाम्बुवर्जितम्: devoid of grass, clods, and water
• तृणलोष्टाम्बुवर्जितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृण-लोष्ट-अम्बु-वर्जित (कृदन्त; वर्ज् धातु (वर्ज्) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तृणं च लोष्टं च अम्बु च (समाहार-द्वन्द्व) + वर्जित = 'तृणलोष्टाम्बुवर्जित' (तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (continuing the recollection within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kūpa (archetypal well) of the Nṛga exemplum

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A remembered tableau: a deep well’s mouth, a royal figure (Nṛga) being cast down; around, a sand-formed sacrificial layout, starkly lacking grass, clods, and water—yet suffused with devotional resolve.

Characters & Entities

• Nṛga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even when resources are absent, sincere intention and dharmic resolve can transform the simplest offering into worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage belongs to a tīrtha-glorification chapter, but this verse itself focuses on the exemplary tale of Nṛga rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yajña (sacrificial act) made with sand is referenced, highlighting substitution when proper materials are unavailable.