Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

ततोऽब्रवीत्स हृष्टात्मा ह्येतद्धि पुष्कर त्रयम् । मया सम्यक्समानीतं कलिकालभयेन च

Transliteration

tato'bravītsa hṛṣṭātmā hyetaddhi puṣkara trayam | mayā samyaksamānītaṃ kalikālabhayena ca

Translation

Darauf sprach er, im Herzen erfreut: „Wahrlich, diese Dreiheit von Puṣkara habe ich selbst rechtmäßig herbeigebracht und eingesetzt—aus Furcht vor den Schrecken des Kali-Zeitalters.“

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: ततः-शब्दः (adverb: then/thereafter)

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• hṛṣṭātmā: (he) whose heart was delighted
• hṛṣṭātmā: Karta (Subject-apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular); बहुव्रीहिः (one whose self is delighted) qualifying saḥ

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• puṣkara: Puṣkara
• puṣkara: Karta (Subject-part/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular); त्रयम् इति विशेष्य (as member of phrase)

• trayam: a triad; threefold
• trayam: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular); संख्याविशेषण of puṣkara

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम (1st person pronoun), तृतीया (instrumental), एकवचन (singular)

• samyak: properly
• samyak: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: properly)

• samānītam: brought together; brought
• samānītam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ā-√nī (धातु) + ta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृत् (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (nom/acc), एकवचन (singular); predicate to etat (this has been brought)

• kalikāla-bhayena: out of fear of the Kali age
• kalikāla-bhayena: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalikāla (प्रातिपदिक) + bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), तृतीया (instrumental), एकवचन (singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Brahmā (speaking)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara-traya (established here)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā, joyful, addresses unseen sages/pilgrims; behind him three kundas shimmer. His gesture is declarative—hand raised, palm outward—signifying establishment and protection against Kali’s terrors.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Puṣkara-traya
• Kali-yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine compassion provides accessible sacred supports—like tīrthas—especially when Kali-yuga threatens spiritual decline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara-traya, the threefold Puṣkara pilgrimage complex.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct injunction here; it frames the tīrthas as established for Kali-yuga welfare.