Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

ततस्तीरं समासाद्य कृच्छ्रात्प्राप्याथ चेतनाम् । यावद्वीक्षयति स्वांगं तावत्कुष्ठं समागतम्

Transliteration

tatastīraṃ samāsādya kṛcchrātprāpyātha cetanām | yāvadvīkṣayati svāṃgaṃ tāvatkuṣṭhaṃ samāgatam

Translation

Dann erreichte er mühsam das Ufer und kam allmählich wieder zu sich. Doch sobald er seine Glieder erblickte, war der Aussatz bereits über ihn gekommen.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = thereafter

• तीरम्: the shore
• तीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Accusative singular; गन्तव्य (to the bank/shore)

• समासाद्य: having reached
• समासाद्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-√सद् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), अर्थे: सम्यक् आसाद्य (having reached)

• कृच्छ्रात्: with difficulty
• कृच्छ्रात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (usage), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Ablative singular; कष्टात् (from hardship/with difficulty)

• प्राप्य: having regained
• प्राप्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√आप् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यबन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), अर्थे: प्राप्य (having obtained/regained)

• अथ: then
• अथ: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/अनन्तरार्थक) = then/and then

• चेतनाम्: consciousness
• चेतनाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेतना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Accusative singular; संज्ञा/बुद्धिः (consciousness)

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/कालवाचक) = as long as/until

• वीक्षयति: he looks at
• वीक्षयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वीक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन = 3rd person singular; अर्थे: पश्यति (he looks at)

• स्वाङ्गम्: his own body
• स्वाङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Accusative singular; समासः: स्व-अङ्ग (one’s own body/limbs)

• तावत्: just then
• तावत्: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तावन्मात्र/तत्काल) = just then/so much

• कुष्ठम्: leprosy
• कुष्ठम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Nominative singular; रोगविशेषः (leprosy)

• समागतम्: had appeared
• समागतम्: Kriya (Result state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-√गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘आगतं’ = has come/has appeared

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration within Tīrthamāhātmya; immediate speaker not explicit in the verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the riverbank, the man opens his eyes, tries to sit; as he looks at his limbs, lesions and discoloration appear—an abrupt, unsettling metamorphosis under a grey sky.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even near sacred places, improper conduct can ripen quickly into visible karmic consequence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage is moving toward Puṣkara (Pauṣkara-jala), a famed tīrtha in the Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No prescription appears in this verse; it sets the narrative context for later instructions about tīrtha-darśana and snāna.