Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

मर्त्ये च मामकं तीर्थं पुष्करंनाम विश्रुतम् । नाशं यास्यति तन्नूनं कलिकालपरिप्लुतम्

Transliteration

martye ca māmakaṃ tīrthaṃ puṣkaraṃnāma viśrutam | nāśaṃ yāsyati tannūnaṃ kalikālapariplutam

Translation

Et dans le monde des mortels, mon tīrtha renommé, appelé Puṣkara, submergé par l’âge de Kali, ira sûrement à la ruine.

Word by Word

• मर्त्ये: in the mortal world
• मर्त्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• मामकम्: my
• मामकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मामक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• तीर्थम्: sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्म/उद्देश्य-निर्देश (contextual)

• पुष्करम्: Puṣkara
• पुष्करम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; नाम (apposition to तीर्थम्)

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Sambandha (Specifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नामार्थक-अव्यय (indeclinable meaning ‘by name’)

• विश्रुतम्: well-known
• विश्रुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-श्रु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• नाशम्: destruction
• नाशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; गत्यर्थक-क्रियायाः लक्ष्य (goal)

• यास्यति: will go/meet (with)
• यास्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future/लृट्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• तत्: that (tīrtha)
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; पूर्वोक्त-निर्देश (refers to ‘tīrtha’)

• नूनम्: surely
• नूनम्: Sambandha (Modal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नूनम् (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle of certainty)

• कलिकालपरिप्लुतम्: overwhelmed by the Kali age
• कलिकालपरिप्लुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कलिकाल (प्रातिपदिक) + परिप्लुत (वि-√प्लु (धातु) + क्त, कृदन्त)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): ‘कलिकालस्य परिप्लुतम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Brahmā (Pitāmaha)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi-s/assembly (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā contemplates the fate of Puṣkara in Kali-yuga; the sacred lake and ghāṭa-s appear dimmed, with signs of neglect, while Brahmā’s face shows concern and resolve.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Puṣkara
• Kali-yuga
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the most renowned tīrtha requires dharmic guardianship; Kali-yuga threatens sanctity when conduct declines.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara—Brahmā’s celebrated tīrtha in the human realm, central to Puṣkara Māhātmya traditions.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse sets up the need for proper tīrtha-sevā—pure pilgrimage, snāna, and dharmic living—described in the surrounding passages.