Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

चातुर्मास्ये विशेषेण मनुष्यो नैव नारकी । शालिग्रामं नरो दृष्ट्वा पूजितं कुसुमैः शुभैः

Transliteration

cāturmāsye viśeṣeṇa manuṣyo naiva nārakī | śāligrāmaṃ naro dṛṣṭvā pūjitaṃ kusumaiḥ śubhaiḥ

Translation

Besonders während des Cāturmāsya wird der Mensch nicht der Hölle verfallen; denn wer Śāligrāma sieht, wie er mit glückverheißenden Blumen verehrt wird, wird von einem solchen Los befreit.

Word by Word

• चातुर्मास्ये: in the Cāturmāsya period
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative Singular

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental Singular; adverbial use (‘especially’)

• मनुष्यः: a man/person
• मनुष्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular

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

• एव: indeed/at all
• एव: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• नारकी: hell-bound/pertaining to hell
• नारकी: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नारकिन्/नारकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular; predicate adjective to मनुष्यः

• शालिग्रामम्: Śāligrāma (sacred stone/place)
• शालिग्रामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शालिग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + क्त्वा
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive): ‘having seen’

• पूजितम्: worshipped
• पूजितम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √पूज् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — past passive participle; agrees with शालिग्रामम्

• कुसुमैः: with flowers
• कुसुमैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुसुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — Instrumental Plural

• शुभैः: auspicious
• शुभैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — Instrumental Plural; qualifies कुसुमैः

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śāligrāma (Gaṇḍakī-udbhava)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in the rainy-season Cāturmāsya setting beholds a Śāligrāma on a small altar, adorned with auspicious flowers; the atmosphere is restrained, devotional, and protective against naraka imagery kept only as a distant threat.

Characters & Entities

• Cāturmāsya
• Śāligrāma
• Naraka (hell, implied by nārakī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even darśana (reverent seeing) of properly worshipped Śāligrāma—especially in Cāturmāsya—is celebrated as powerfully purifying and protective.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse highlights the salvific merit of Śāligrāma darśana and pūjā rather than naming a particular pilgrimage geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship Śāligrāma with auspicious flowers during Cāturmāsya; even seeing such worship is said to yield great merit.