Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

तत्र गाथा पुरा गीता नारदेन महर्षिणा । विष्णुपद्याः समालोक्य प्रभावं पापनाशनम्

Transliteration

tatra gāthā purā gītā nāradena maharṣiṇā | viṣṇupadyāḥ samālokya prabhāvaṃ pāpanāśanam

Translation

In diesem Zusammenhang wurde einst von dem großen Weisen Nārada eine Gāthā gesungen, nachdem er die Sünden vernichtende Macht und die Majestät der Viṣṇupadī geschaut hatte.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• गाथा: a verse/song
• गाथा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गाथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• गीता: sung/recited
• गीता: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गीत (कृदन्त; √गै (धातु) PPP)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचन; गाथा-विशेषण

• नारदेन: by Nārada
• नारदेन: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/instrumental/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• महर्षिणा: by the great sage
• महर्षिणा: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/instrumental/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; नारदस्य विशेषण (appositional)

• विष्णुपद्याः: of Viṣṇupadī
• विष्णुपद्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + पद्या (प्रातिपदिक; नदी/स्त्री)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; ‘विष्णोः पद्या’ (of Viṣṇupadī/river)

• समालोक्य: having observed
• समालोक्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-√लोक् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having observed/considered’

• प्रभावम्: power, efficacy
• प्रभावम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पापनाशनम्: sin-destroying
• पापनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; प्रभाव-विशेषण (destroyer of sins)

Speaker

Narratorial lead-in (contextual voice), introducing Nārada’s utterance

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viṣṇupadī

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Nārada stands on a riverbank, vīṇā in hand, gazing at the radiant waters of Viṣṇupadī; as he ‘beholds’ the prabhāva, dark mists of sin dissolve into light.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Viṣṇupadī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa frames tīrthas as living sources of grace—Viṣṇupadī is praised as inherently capable of destroying sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viṣṇupadī—presented as a Viṣṇu-associated sacred water/ford renowned for pāpa-nāśana (sin-removal).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse introduces a praise-poem grounded in the tīrtha’s spiritual efficacy.