Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

प्रसुप्तं भ्रममाणं वा मम पुत्रं सुबालकम् । वनाधिदेवताः सर्वा रक्षंतु वचनान्मम

Transliteration

prasuptaṃ bhramamāṇaṃ vā mama putraṃ subālakam | vanādhidevatāḥ sarvā rakṣaṃtu vacanānmama

Translation

Ob mein kleiner Sohn schläft oder umherirrt: Mögen alle Schutzgottheiten des Waldes mein gutes Kind behüten—durch die Kraft meines gesprochenen Wortes.

Word by Word

• प्रसुप्तम्: asleep
• प्रसुप्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र√स्वप् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; past passive participle used adjectivally

• भ्रममाणम्: wandering, roaming
• भ्रममाणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (शानच्/आन), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; present middle participle used adjectivally

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (gen. sg.)

• पुत्रम्: son
• पुत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• सु-बालकम्: very young boy
• सु-बालकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सुन्दरः बालकः)

• वन-अधिदेवताः: forest presiding deities
• वन-अधिदेवताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिदेवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• रक्षन्तु: may (they) protect
• रक्षन्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; parasmaipada (imperative, 3rd pl.)

• वचनात्: by (my) words/request
• वचनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (ablative of cause: 'by/at the request')

• मम: of me, my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Nandinī (inward prayer/appeal, implied by narrative context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mother speaks a protective vow-prayer, imagining her child asleep or wandering; the forest seems to listen as guardian presences gather unseen.

Characters & Entities

• Nandinī
• vanādhidevatāḥ (forest deities)
• putra (son)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Truthful speech and righteous intention are portrayed as spiritually efficacious, capable of invoking divine protection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse occurs within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative; the passage supports the sanctity of the local tīrtha-context of the chapter rather than naming a separate famous pan-Indian site in this single line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; it is a protective invocation (rakṣā) grounded in the speaker’s word and dharma.