Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

किं वा ते बहुनोक्तेन यत्किंचिद्व्यसनं महत् । तत्तस्य व्यसनं किंचिदथर्वणः प्रकी र्तनात्

Transliteration

kiṃ vā te bahunoktena yatkiṃcidvyasanaṃ mahat | tattasya vyasanaṃ kiṃcidatharvaṇaḥ prakī rtanāt

Translation

À quoi bon en dire davantage ? Quelque grande calamité qu’il y ait, elle devient pour lui une chose infime par la proclamation et la récitation de la puissance d’Atharvan.

Word by Word

• किम्: what
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• वा: or; indeed
• वा: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• ते: of you; your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी) एकवचन (ते = तव) / वा चतुर्थी (4th) एकवचन; अत्र सम्भाव्यं षष्ठी—‘तव’

• बहुना: with much (talk)
• बहुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; (बहुना उक्तेन = ‘with much speaking’)

• उक्तेन: by what is said; by speech
• उक्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle) ‘उक्त’ (प्रातिपदिकवत्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• किंचित्: some; any
• किंचित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किंचित् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक (indefinite)

• व्यसनम्: misfortune; calamity
• व्यसनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• महत्: great
• महत्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; (व्यसनम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; निर्देशार्थक

• तस्य: of him/it
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• व्यसनम्: calamity
• व्यसनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• किंचित्: any (even a little)
• किंचित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किंचित् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अल्पार्थक

• अथर्वणः: of Atharvan; of the Atharva (Veda)
• अथर्वणः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अथर्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• प्रकीर्तनात्: from recitation/proclamation
• प्रकीर्तनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: क्तिन्/भाववाचक-प्रातिपदिक ‘प्रकीर्तन’ (verbal noun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन

Speaker

Pippalāda (contextual attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unspecified

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage-like scene: famine, war, disease, and storm depicted at the margins; at the center, devotees recite Atharvan before the deity; the disasters shrink into small, harmless symbols, emphasizing ‘vyasanaṃ kiñcit’.

Characters & Entities

• Atharvan/Atharvaveda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text magnifies Atharvavedic recitation in a sacred setting as a comprehensive shield against major misfortunes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The deity’s presence in Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (Kaṃsāreśvara context), where Atharvan recitation is held to be potent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prakīrtana/pāṭha of Atharvan (Atharvavedic) recitation as a protective rite.