Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

वापीकूपतडागानामारामाणां विशे षतः । आरोपकः प्रपाणां च न प्रेतो जायते नरः

Transliteration

vāpīkūpataḍāgānāmārāmāṇāṃ viśe ṣataḥ | āropakaḥ prapāṇāṃ ca na preto jāyate naraḥ

Translation

Wer Brunnen, Stufenbrunnen und Teiche anlegen lässt und insbesondere Gärten gestaltet und Trinkwasserstellen einrichtet—ein solcher Mensch wird nicht als Preta geboren.

Word by Word

• vāpīkūpataḍāgānām: of wells, ponds, and tanks
• vāpīkūpataḍāgānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāpī (प्रातिपदिक) + kūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + taḍāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (वापी-कूप-तडाग)

• ārāmāṇām: of gardens/groves
• ārāmāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ārāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (विशेषणार्थक-क्रियाविशेषण)

• āropakaḥ: planter/one who causes planting
• āropakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āropaka (प्रातिपदिक; ā+ruh/rop (धातु) ण्वुल्/क)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक-नाम (agent noun)

• prapāṇām: of water-sheds/drinking-water stations
• prapāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prapā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• pretaḥ: a preta
• pretaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय

• jāyate: is born/becomes
• jāyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट्, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• naraḥ: man
• naraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Māṃsāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Workers dig a well and line a stepwell; nearby a pond glistens, a garden with flowering trees offers shade, and a traveler drinks at a water-station (prapā) under a canopy; the donor oversees with humility.

Characters & Entities

• Vāpī
• Kūpa
• Taḍāga
• Ārāma
• Prapā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes loka-hita: sustaining life through water and shade is a high form of merit praised in tīrtha traditions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named; the verse promotes infrastructure that supports pilgrims and communities around tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Establishing water sources (kūpa, taḍāga, vāpī), gardens (ārāma), and drinking-water stations (prapā).