Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

एवमज्ञानभावेन कृता ताभ्यां प्रदक्षिणा । पशुपालपशुभ्यां वै सुपुण्ये तत्र वासरे

Transliteration

evamajñānabhāvena kṛtā tābhyāṃ pradakṣiṇā | paśupālapaśubhyāṃ vai supuṇye tatra vāsare

Translation

Ainsi, même sans en avoir conscience, le berger et l’animal accomplirent réellement cette pradakṣiṇā, en ce jour d’un mérite suprême, en ce lieu.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus)

• अज्ञान-भावेन: due to ignorance
• अज्ञान-भावेन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + भाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; हेतौ (instrumental of cause/state)

• कृता: was done
• कृता: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + त (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; कर्मणि/परिणामवाचक ("was done")

• ताभ्याम्: by those two
• ताभ्याम्: Karta/Instrument (Agent/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री/नपुंसक; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); द्विवचन

• प्रदक्षिणा: circumambulation
• प्रदक्षिणा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• पशुपाल-पशुभ्याम्: by the herdsman and the animal
• पशुपाल-पशुभ्याम्: Karta/Instrument (Agent/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशुपाल (प्रातिपदिक) + पशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); द्विवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (two entities: herdsman and animal)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Nipāta (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक/उपपद (indeed)

• सुपुण्ये: very holy
• सुपुण्ये: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुपुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; विशेषण (locative: "on a very holy")

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: there)

• वासरे: on the day
• वासरे: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The shepherd and the animal together trace a circular path around the sacred field; above them, unseen devas mark the day as supremely meritorious; the circle motif dominates the composition.

Characters & Entities

• Pradakṣiṇā
• Paśupāla
• Paśu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with a powerful tīrtha and its rites can bestow merit even when performed unintentionally, revealing the compassion embedded in sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse praises the potency of the local tīrtha in Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya (the tīrtha name is not specified in this single line).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pradakṣiṇā is the key act, emphasized as especially potent when done on a ‘supuṇya’ (highly auspicious) day.