Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

मंडपं कारयेत्पश्चाद्यथापूर्वं प्रकल्पितम्

Transliteration

maṃḍapaṃ kārayetpaścādyathāpūrvaṃ prakalpitam

Translation

Danach soll man einen Maṇḍapa (heiligen Pavillon) errichten lassen, in rechter Ordnung, wie zuvor vorgeschrieben.

Word by Word

• मण्डपम्: a pavilion/mandapa
• मण्डपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कारयेत्: should have (it) made
• कारयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) [णिच् causative: कारयति]
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: 'should cause to be made')

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• यथा: as; according to
• यथा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as/according to)

• पूर्वम्: previously
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभूत-रूप (adverbial accusative); 'formerly/before'

• प्रकल्पितम्: arranged/prepared
• प्रकल्पितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कल्प् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'arranged/laid out' (agreeing with मण्डपम्)

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña (procedural instruction)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Carpenters and attendants raise a decorated pavilion with pillars and a canopy; inside, the golden earth-model is placed on a pedestal, with lamps, vessels, and seats arranged according to earlier rule.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer order supports inner devotion; careful preparation of sacred space honors the rite and the deity of the tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The rite’s setting remains the Gautameśvara tīrtha within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Construct a maṇḍapa (ritual pavilion) in the duly prescribed earlier manner as part of the donation ceremony.