Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

पाखंडैः पतितैः सार्धं तस्मिन्नहनि नालपेत् । भक्षयित्वा नृपश्रेष्ठ प्रभाते दन्तधावनम् । मंत्रेणानेन पश्चाच्च कर्तव्यो नियमो नृप

Transliteration

pākhaṃḍaiḥ patitaiḥ sārdhaṃ tasminnahani nālapet | bhakṣayitvā nṛpaśreṣṭha prabhāte dantadhāvanam | maṃtreṇānena paścācca kartavyo niyamo nṛpa

Translation

En ese día no debe hablarse con herejes ni con los caídos. Tras comer a la hora debida, oh el mejor de los reyes, por la mañana debe limpiarse los dientes; y después, oh Rey, ha de emprenderse la observancia (niyama) con este mantra.

Word by Word

• पाखण्डैः: with heretics
• पाखण्डैः: सह/सहकारक (Association)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाखण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पतितैः: with the fallen (degenerate)
• पतितैः: सह/सहकारक (Association)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पतित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: सह (Association marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, सहार्थक-उपपद (indeclinable used with instrumental: ‘together with’)

• तस्मिन्: on that
• तस्मिन्: अधिकरण (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे रूपम्

• अहनि: day
• अहनि: अधिकरण (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: निषेध (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• आलपेत्: should speak (with)
• आलपेत्: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + लप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपदम्

• भक्षयित्वा: having eaten
• भक्षयित्वा: पूर्वक्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु) + क्त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (prior action)

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रभाते: in the morning
• प्रभाते: अधिकरण (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• दन्तधावनम्: tooth-cleaning
• दन्तधावनम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्त + धावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• मन्त्रेण: with a mantra
• मन्त्रेण: करण (Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• अनेन: with this
• अनेन: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे रूपम्; मन्त्रेण इति विशेष्ये

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• कर्तव्यः: to be done; must be observed
• कर्तव्यः: विधेय (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (gerundive/obligatory), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); नियमः इति विशेष्ये

• नियमः: rule; observance
• नियमः: कर्ता/विषय (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नियम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puraścaraṇa Saptamī

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rohitāśva

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined vrata morning: the devotee avoids impure company, performs dantadhāvana at dawn, then begins the vow with mantra, seated facing the rising Sun.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vrata is upheld by ācāra—purity of company, speech restraint, and disciplined routine support inner purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse provides vrata-day conduct within the māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not converse with pāṣaṇḍas/patitās on that day; perform morning tooth-cleaning; then undertake the niyama using the stated mantra.