Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तदाराध्य पुरा सोमः क्षयव्याधिसमन्वितः । बभूव नीरुग्देहोऽसौ यथा पांड्यो नराधिपः

Transliteration

tadārādhya purā somaḥ kṣayavyādhisamanvitaḥ | babhūva nīrugdeho'sau yathā pāṃḍyo narādhipaḥ

Translation

Einst verehrte Soma, vom zehrenden Siechtum befallen, Jenen, Somēśvara. Da wurde sein Leib frei von Krankheit, wie es später auch dem König der Pāṇḍya erging.

Word by Word

• तत्: that (liṅga)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• आराध्य: having worshipped/propitiated
• आराध्य: Sambandha (Prior action/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-राध् (धातु) → आराध्य (ल्यप्/क्त्वा-समकक्ष अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund): ‘having propitiated/worshipped’

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Sambandha (Temporal adverb/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालबोधक (formerly, in olden times)

• सोमः: Soma
• सोमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन

• क्षयव्याधिसमन्वितः: afflicted with consumption/disease
• क्षयव्याधिसमन्वितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक) + व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक) + समन्वित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (समाहार/द्वन्द्व-आभास within): ‘क्षय-व्याधिभिः समन्वितः’ = afflicted with wasting disease(s)

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• नीरुग्देहः: having a disease-free body
• नीरुग्देहः: Visheshana (Predicate qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः (उपसर्ग/निपात) + रुग् (प्रातिपदिक) + देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: ‘न विद्यते रुग् यस्य देहे सः’ = whose body is without disease

• असौ: he (that one)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; निर्देशार्थक सर्वनाम (demonstrative: ‘that/he’)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/तुलनाबोधक (as, just as)

• पाण्ड्यः: Pāṇḍya (king)
• पाण्ड्यः: Karta (Comparand subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्ड्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन

• नराधिपः: lord of men, king
• नराधिपः: Apposition (Predicate noun/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘नराणाम् अधिपः’

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somēśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Soma, pale and weakened by kṣaya, performs intense worship of the Somēśvara liṅga; moonlight merges with Śiva’s radiance. In a secondary vignette, the Pāṇḍya king is shown similarly cured, standing robust and regal.

Characters & Entities

• Soma (Candra)
• Somēśvara
• Pāṇḍya king
• kṣaya (wasting disease)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text presents exemplary narratives—deities and kings alike—showing that sincere propitiation at a holy site restores well-being and dharmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Somēśvara liṅga-tīrtha, whose worship is credited with curing kṣaya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ārādhana (propitiatory worship) of Somēśvara is highlighted as the means through which affliction is removed.