Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

सप्तर्षय इति श्रेष्ठां यो जपेत्तु समाहितः । ऋचं रोगविनाशाय स रोगैः परि मुच्यते

Transliteration

saptarṣaya iti śreṣṭhāṃ yo japettu samāhitaḥ | ṛcaṃ rogavināśāya sa rogaiḥ pari mucyate

Translation

Quien, con la mente recogida, recita el excelente ṛc que comienza «saptarṣayaḥ…» para destruir la enfermedad, queda completamente libre de dolencias.

Word by Word

• सप्तर्षयः: the seven sages
• सप्तर्षयः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त + ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; मन्त्रपदत्वेन उद्धृतम्

• इति: thus
• इति: Vacana-paryavasana (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—उद्धरणार्थक

• श्रेष्ठाम्: excellent
• श्रेष्ठाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘ऋचम्’ इत्यस्य

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—विरोध/विशेष (particle: but/indeed)

• समाहितः: composed, attentive
• समाहितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + आ + धा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भावे; विशेषण—‘यः’

• ऋचम्: a ṛc (Vedic verse)
• ऋचम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋच्/ऋचा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• रोगविनाशाय: for the destruction of disease
• रोगविनाशाय: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोग + विनाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; प्रयोजन/हेतु (for the destruction of disease)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• रोगैः: from diseases
• रोगैः: Apadana (Ablative sense/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; अपादानार्थे (from diseases)

• परि: completely
• परि: Upasarga (Preverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परि (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: अव्यय—उपसर्ग (preverb) ‘मुच्यते’ इत्यस्य

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (passive)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from tīrthamāhātmya instructional style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sick devotee sits near the tirtha, eyes closed in concentration, reciting the ṛc beginning ‘saptarṣayaḥ’; a subtle aura of the Seven Sages appears, and the body regains vitality.

Characters & Entities

• Saptarṣi (Seven Sages)
• Ṛc (Vedic verse)
• Roga (disease)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Focused recitation (samādhāna in japa) at a sacred place is depicted as restoring wholeness and removing affliction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha praised in Adhyāya 36 of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya; the excerpt does not name it.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa of a Vedic ṛc beginning “saptarṣayaḥ …” with the intention of destroying disease.