Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

सर्पः परकृतं वेश्म प्रविश्य सुखमेधते । उषित्वा तत्र सौख्येन भूयोऽन्यत्तादृशं व्रजेत्

Transliteration

sarpaḥ parakṛtaṃ veśma praviśya sukhamedhate | uṣitvā tatra saukhyena bhūyo'nyattādṛśaṃ vrajet

Translation

Eine Schlange betritt ein von einem anderen erbautes Haus und gedeiht in Behaglichkeit; nachdem sie dort angenehm verweilt hat, zieht sie wieder zu einem ähnlichen Ort weiter.

Word by Word

• sarpaḥ: a snake
• sarpaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana

• para-kṛtam: made by another
• para-kṛtam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa-samāsa: para-kṛtam (made by another); Napuṃsaka-linga, Dvitīyā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; qualifies 'veśma'

• veśma: house/dwelling
• veśma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veśman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka-linga, Dvitīyā-vibhakti, Ekavacana

• praviśya: having entered
• praviśya: Kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: viś (धातु) + pra (उपसर्ग) + ya (ल्यप्)
• Form: Absolutive (ल्यप्/क्त्वार्थ), indeclinable; pūrvakāla-kriyā

• sukham: comfortably
• sukham: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka-linga, Dvitīyā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; adverbial accusative (क्रियाविशेषणवत्)

• edhate: thrives/prospers
• edhate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: edh (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (present), Ātmanepada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana

• uṣitvā: having stayed/dwelt
• uṣitvā: Kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vas (धातु) + ut (उपसर्ग) + tvā (त्वा)
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वान्त), indeclinable; pūrvakāla-kriyā

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; deśa-avyaya (locative adverb)

• saukhyena: with comfort
• saukhyena: Karaṇa (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saukhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka-linga, Tṛtīyā-vibhakti, Ekavacana

• bhūyaḥ: again/further
• bhūyaḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; punar-artha (again/further)

• anyat: another
• anyat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka-linga, Dvitīyā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; qualifies implied 'veśma/gṛham'

• tādṛśam: such/similar
• tādṛśam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tādṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka-linga, Dvitīyā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; qualifies 'anyat'

• vrajet: would go
• vrajet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vraj (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ-lakāra (विधिलिङ्, optative), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana

Speaker

An ascetic/renunciate narrator within the Tīrthamāhātmya dialogue (speaker not explicitly named in the provided snippet)

Characters & Entities

• Sarpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly dwellings are temporary shelters; clinging to them as ‘mine’ is delusion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the broader Mahātmya’s dharmic instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse uses a metaphor to teach non-attachment.