Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

तैजसं पिंडमेतद्धि ब्रह्मरूपमिदं शुभम् । यस्याः संदर्शनादेव सद्यः कल्मषनाशनम्

Transliteration

taijasaṃ piṃḍametaddhi brahmarūpamidaṃ śubham | yasyāḥ saṃdarśanādeva sadyaḥ kalmaṣanāśanam

Translation

En vérité, ceci est une masse sacrée et rayonnante—une forme auspicieuse de Brahman ; par sa seule vision, les impuretés sont détruites sur-le-champ.

Word by Word

• taijasam: luminous/fiery
• taijasam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: taijasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (piṇḍam)

• piṇḍam: a mass/lump
• piṇḍam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम; अत्र piṇḍam इत्यस्य विशेषणरूपेण

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (indeed/for)

• brahmarūpam: having the form of Brahman
• brahmarūpam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (brahmaṇaḥ rūpam) ; विशेषणम् (idam/etat/piṇḍam)

• idam: this
• idam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (idam)

• yasyāḥ: of which/whose
• yasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम

• saṃdarśanāt: from the sight/seeing
• saṃdarśanāt: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sam + darśana (प्रातिपदिक; from √dṛś धातु, भाव/करण-नाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• eva: only/just
• eva: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (only/just)

• sadyaḥ: immediately
• sadyaḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (immediately)

• kalmaṣanāśanam: destruction of impurity/sin
• kalmaṣanāśanam: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalmaṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक; from √naś धातु, भाव/कर्तृ-नाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (kalmaṣasya nāśanam)

Speaker

Gālava

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śālagrāma

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up of Śālagrāma on a pedestal emitting a subtle radiance; a devotee’s face reflects calm as dark ‘impurity’ motifs dissolve upon mere sight.

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Śālagrāma-śilā (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with the sacred (even by darśana alone) is celebrated as transformative, removing inner and outer impurity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse glorifies the sacred presence embodied in the Śālagrāma-śilā (iconic tirtha-object), rather than a geographic site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (reverent seeing) of the sacred form is itself stated to destroy defilement immediately.