Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

अधोमुखं च तत्पात्रं मन्त्रवत्स्थापयेत्ततः । आयुष्कामस्तु तत्तोयं लोचनाभ्यां न वीक्षयेत्

Transliteration

adhomukhaṃ ca tatpātraṃ mantravatsthāpayettataḥ | āyuṣkāmastu tattoyaṃ locanābhyāṃ na vīkṣayet

Translation

Danach soll man jenes Gefäß mit der Öffnung nach unten, unter Rezitation von Mantra, aufstellen. Wer jedoch langes Leben begehrt, soll jenes Wasser nicht mit den Augen ansehen.

Word by Word

• adho-mukham: face-down
• adho-mukham: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhas (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tat-pātram: that vessel
• tat-pātram: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + pātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• mantravat: with (proper) mantras
• mantravat: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mantravat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत्/विशेषण-प्रयोगः; ‘मन्त्रयुक्तम्’ इत्यर्थे

• sthāpayet: should place/set
• sthāpayet: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्था धातु, णिच् causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग (cause to stand/place)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम-अव्यय (thereafter)

• āyuṣ-kāmaḥ: one desiring long life
• āyuṣ-kāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyus (प्रातिपदिक) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तृपद (agent)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• tat-toyam: that water
• tat-toyam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + toya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• locanābhyām: with (his) two eyes
• locanābhyām: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: locana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), द्विवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• vīkṣayet: should look at
• vīkṣayet: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi√īkṣ (ईक्ष् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dvija performs ancestral rite: a small metal vessel is set mouth-down on kuśa grass; mantra is being recited; the performer averts his gaze from the consecrated water, eyes lowered in restraint.

Characters & Entities

• Pātra (vessel)
• Toya (water)
• Mantra
• Āyuṣ (longevity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual discipline includes restraints; honoring the Pitṛs requires careful observance of prescribed do’s and don’ts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is specified in this verse; it supplies a general rule within tīrtha-śrāddha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Place the vessel inverted with mantra; if seeking longevity, avoid looking at the offered water.