Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

एकां मुक्त्वा निजां भार्यामेकं दशरथं सुतम् । तांश्चापि सकलान्व्याधीन्मंत्रैः संयम्य यत्नतः

Transliteration

ekāṃ muktvā nijāṃ bhāryāmekaṃ daśarathaṃ sutam | tāṃścāpi sakalānvyādhīnmaṃtraiḥ saṃyamya yatnataḥ

Translation

Nur seine eigene Gemahlin und seinen Sohn Daśaratha ausgenommen, zügelte er alle übrigen Krankheiten mit Sorgfalt durch Mantras.

Word by Word

• ekām: one
• ekām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — विशेषण (भार्याम्)

• muktvā: having freed
• muktvā: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muc (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having released/freed’

• nijām: his own
• nijām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — विशेषण (भार्याम्)

• bhāryām: wife
• bhāryām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāryā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• ekam: one
• ekam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — विशेषण (सुतम्)

• daśaratham: Daśaratha
• daśaratham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśaratha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — व्यक्तिनाम

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

• tān: those
• tān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन — सर्वनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक-निपात)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — ‘also/even’

• sakalān: all
• sakalān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sakala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन — विशेषण (व्याधीन्)

• vyādhīn: diseases
• vyādhīn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyādhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• mantraiḥ: by mantras
• mantraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• saṃyamya: having restrained
• saṃyamya: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-yam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having restrained/controlled’

• yatnataḥ: carefully, with effort
• yatnataḥ: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatnataḥ (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘with effort/carefully’

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king performs focused mantra-japa, hands in mudrā, as personified diseases—shadowy figures—are held at bay; two figures (wife and young prince Daśaratha) stand protected within a luminous boundary.

Characters & Entities

• Daśaratha (son)
• bhāryā (wife)
• vyādhi (diseases)
• mantra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra-power is depicted as disciplined governance over disorder (disease), exercised with care and responsibility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No explicit tīrtha is named in the verse; it advances the episode’s benefit-theme within the Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mantra-based restraint (saṃyama) is referenced, but not a formal rite like snāna or vrata.