Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

ततो जगाम तं देशं यत्र भार्या शिलामयी । सा स्थिता तापसीवृन्दैः सर्वतोऽपि समन्विता

Transliteration

tato jagāma taṃ deśaṃ yatra bhāryā śilāmayī | sā sthitā tāpasīvṛndaiḥ sarvato'pi samanvitā

Translation

Alors il se rendit en ce lieu où son épouse, devenue de pierre, se tenait debout, entourée de toutes parts par des groupes de femmes ascètes.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (thereafter)

• जगाम: went
• जगाम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); परस्मैपदम्

• तम्: that
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• देशम्: place, region
• देशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: ‘where’)

• भार्या: wife
• भार्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• शिलामयी: made of stone
• शिलामयी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिला + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular); मयट्-प्रत्ययान्त (made of), तत्पुरुषार्थः ‘शिलामयी’

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• स्थिताः: stood, remained
• स्थिताः: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle) used predicatively; स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• तापसीवृन्दैः: with groups of female ascetics
• तापसीवृन्दैः: Sahakari (Association/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापसी + वृन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), तृतीया (instrumental), बहुवचन (plural); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (tāpasīnām vṛndaiḥ)

• सर्वतः: on all sides
• सर्वतः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः (अव्यय)
• Form: दिग्वाचक-अव्यय (directional adverb: ‘from all sides’)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: ‘also/even’)

• समन्विता: accompanied, surrounded
• समन्विता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + अनु + इ (धातु) → समन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (nominative), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Narrator within the Tīrthamāhātmya (exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: sthāna (localized sacred spot)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages / contextual audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king arrives at a secluded sacred spot: his wife stands as a stone figure, serene yet tragic; around her, ascetic women form a protective circle, holding rosaries and waterpots.

Characters & Entities

• Stone-formed wife
• Tāpasīs (female ascetics)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Atonement is pursued through seeking the afflicted directly, in a sacred/ascetic environment, with perseverance and humility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse points to a specific locale tied to the curse episode, but does not name the tīrtha explicitly in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse describes reaching the place of the curse’s manifestation.