Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

म्लेच्छैः स्पृष्टान्यसंदिग्धं प्रयागादीनि कृत्स्नशः । यज्ञस्तु विहितस्तेन भयायं तत्कृतेन च

Transliteration

mlecchaiḥ spṛṣṭānyasaṃdigdhaṃ prayāgādīni kṛtsnaśaḥ | yajñastu vihitastena bhayāyaṃ tatkṛtena ca

Translation

En vérité, des lieux tels que Prayāga et tous les autres ont été, sans aucun doute, entièrement souillés par le contact des mleccha. C’est pourquoi il fit organiser un yajña, et la crainte naquit de ce qui fut accompli.

Word by Word

• म्लेच्छैः: by mlecchas
• म्लेच्छैः: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mleccha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• स्पृष्टानि: touched/defiled
• स्पृष्टानि: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्पृश् (धातु)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘touched/defiled’

• असंदिग्धम्: undoubtedly
• असंदिग्धम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: a-saṃdigdha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = ‘undoubtedly’ (accusative used adverbially)

• प्रयागादीनि: Prayāga and other (tīrthas)
• प्रयागादीनि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘प्रयाग-आदि’ = Prayāga and others

• कृत्स्नशः: entirely
• कृत्स्नशः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛtsnaśas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/समग्रता-बोधक adverb) = wholly, entirely

• यज्ञः: the sacrifice
• यज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (contrastive particle)

• विहितः: was prescribed/performed
• विहितः: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-धा (धातु)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘ordained/performed’

• तेन: by him/thereby
• तेन: Karana (Agent/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• भयाय: for fear (as a cause/purpose)
• भयाय: Sampradana (Purpose/Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; प्रयोजन (dative of purpose)

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तत्कृतेन: because of that (deed/reason)
• तत्कृतेन: Karana (Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √कृ)
• Form: नपुंसक/पुं, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; ‘तत्-कृत’ = ‘done by that/for that reason’; instrumental of cause

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Brahmā (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prayāga (and other major tīrthas)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wide view of Prayāga’s confluence with pilgrims; a contrasting overlay shows ‘defilement anxiety’—foreign troops/outsiders at the ghāṭas—while priests prepare a yajña-vedi with fire, ladles, and offerings; faces show tension and urgency.

Characters & Entities

• Prayāga
• Mlecchas
• Yajña (sacrifice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When sacred order seems threatened, dharmic communities respond through sanctioned rites, yet must remain vigilant about fear-driven actions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prayāga is referenced as a प्रमुख tīrtha among many, within a discussion about maintaining tīrtha sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yajña is mentioned as being instituted, though details of its procedure are not given in this verse.