Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

कलिभीत्या मयाऽनीतं स्थानेऽस्मिन्पुष्करं निजम् । तीर्थं च युष्मदीयं च निक्षेपोऽ यंसमर्पितः

Transliteration

kalibhītyā mayā'nītaṃ sthāne'sminpuṣkaraṃ nijam | tīrthaṃ ca yuṣmadīyaṃ ca nikṣepo' yaṃsamarpitaḥ

Translation

«Par crainte de Kali, j’ai amené en ce lieu mon propre Puṣkara ; et ce dépôt—cette remise du tīrtha—je vous l’ai offert, afin qu’il soit vôtre.»

Word by Word

• कलि-भीत्या: out of fear of Kali (age)
• कलि-भीत्या: Hetu/Karana (Cause/Instrument/हेतु/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक) + bhīti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (कलौ/कलिसम्बन्धिनी भीतिः); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (instrumental), एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent in passive sense/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; तृतीया, एकवचन

• आनीतम्: brought
• आनीतम्: Karma (Object in passive construction/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√nī (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: आ; (brought)

• स्थाने: in the place
• स्थाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• पुष्करम्: Puṣkara
• पुष्करम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (name of tīrtha/lotus-lake)

• निजम्: one’s own
• निजम्: Karma qualifier (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पुष्करम्)

• तीर्थम्: sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• युष्मदीयम्: your
• युष्मदीयम्: Karma qualifier (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuṣmad (प्रातिपदिक) + īya (तद्धित प्रत्यय)
• Form: तद्धितान्त (युष्मद् + ईय = ‘belonging to you’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थम्)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• निक्षेपः: deposit/entrustment
• निक्षेपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nikṣepa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Appositive/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• समर्पितः: has been entrusted/offered
• समर्पितः: Kriya (Predicate in passive/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√arp (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: सम्; (has been entrusted/offered)

Speaker

Brahmā (continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara (transposed/installed) at Hāṭakeśvara

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijaśreṣṭhāḥ (custodian brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A patron declares he has ‘brought Puṣkara’ to this place out of fear of Kali, offering the tīrtha as a sacred trust to the brāhmaṇas; imagery can show a symbolic water-vessel representing Puṣkara being poured/installed near a Śiva shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Kali (Kali-yuga)
• Puṣkara-tīrtha
• Hāṭakeśvara (context)
• Nāgara brāhmaṇas (recipients)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali-yuga, sanctity is preserved through deliberate dharmic stewardship—entrusting holy places to worthy custodians.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara-tīrtha is invoked, and its sanctity is connected to the local place (Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra context) through an act of entrustment.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed; it describes the theological act of “nīkṣepa/entrusting” the tīrtha’s authority to the Nāgara brāhmaṇas.