Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । तथान्यच्च बिलद्वारि शयनार्थे व्यवस्थितम् । दृष्ट्वा प्रमुच्यते पापी देवं च जलशायिनम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | tathānyacca biladvāri śayanārthe vyavasthitam | dṛṣṭvā pramucyate pāpī devaṃ ca jalaśāyinam

Translation

Sūta sprach: Ferner gibt es in Biladvāra eine weitere Gottheit, zur Ruhe eingesetzt; wer den Herrn erblickt, der auf den Wassern ruht, selbst der Sünder wird von Sünde befreit.

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tathā: thus/likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• anyat: another (thing)
• anyat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd); एकवचन; ‘ca’ सहितं ‘another (thing)’

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

• bila-dvāri: at the cave-entrance
• bila-dvāri: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bila (प्रातिपदिक) + dvāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (bilasya dvāram)

• śayana-arthe: for sleeping
• śayana-arthe: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śayana (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थक-सप्तमी; तत्पुरुषसमासः (śayanasya arthaḥ)

• vyavasthitam: situated/placed
• vyavasthitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-ava-sthā (धातु) + kta (कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; ‘स्थित’ अर्थे (placed/standing)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• pramucyate: is freed
• pramucyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (is released)

• pāpī: a sinner
• pāpī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• devam: the god
• devam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

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

• jala-śāyinam: lying in the water
• jala-śāyinam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक) + śāyin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (jale śete iti) विशेषणम् ‘devam’

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Biladvāra

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (standard outer frame; implied by ‘Sūta uvāca’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Biladvāra, a serene shrine shows the Lord reclining on waters (Jalaśāyī); pilgrims arrive, and a sinner is shown transformed—head bowed, hands folded—symbolizing release from pāpa.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Biladvāra
• Jalaśāyī Deva (reclining-on-waters deity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy sight (darśana) of a tīrtha-deity is celebrated as an immediate purifier, capable of loosening even heavy sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Biladvāra is named as the place where the jalaśāyī deity is to be seen.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana: going to Biladvāra and beholding the deity who reclines upon the waters.