Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

अन्यास्तां मंत्रसंसिद्धां प्रवदंति महर्षयः । अन्या वदन्ति पुण्यानि ह्यस्याः पूर्वकृतानि च

Transliteration

anyāstāṃ maṃtrasaṃsiddhāṃ pravadaṃti maharṣayaḥ | anyā vadanti puṇyāni hyasyāḥ pūrvakṛtāni ca

Translation

D’autres déclaraient que les grands sages l’avaient dite «accomplie par le mantra» ; d’autres encore disaient : «Ce sont assurément ses mérites, les bonnes actions accomplies jadis».

Word by Word

• anyāḥ: others (women)
• anyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• tām: her/that (woman)
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• mantra-saṃsiddhām: perfected/empowered by mantra
• mantra-saṃsiddhām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃsiddhā (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-आधारित)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मन्त्रेण संसिद्धा/मन्त्रसंसिद्धा), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• pravadanti: declare/say
• pravadanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra+vad (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• maharṣayaḥ: great sages
• maharṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (महान् ऋषिः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• anyā: another (woman)
• anyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• vadanti: say
• vadanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• puṇyāni: merits/virtuous deeds
• puṇyāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/indeed)

• asyāḥ: of her
• asyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• pūrva-kṛtāni: previously done
• pūrva-kṛtāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृदन्त; √kṛ)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पूर्वे कृतानि), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Sūta (narration; reported views of the co-wives)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small circle of women and elders/sages in the background gesture as they offer competing explanations—some pointing to prayer beads (mantra-siddhi), others to a symbolic ledger of past deeds—while the devotee remains composed near the water.

Characters & Entities

• Maharṣis
• Mantra-siddhi
• Puṇya (merit)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma links present blessings to both current sādhana (mantra/ritual) and accumulated past merit (pūrva-puṇya).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding passage is situated in a tīrtha setting (a jalāśaya) within Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it discusses causes of spiritual success—mantra-siddhi and past puṇya.