Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

शिरः पत्राग्रसंयुक्तं करोति यदि मानवः । न याम्या यातना ह्यस्य दुःखदात्री भविष्यति

Transliteration

śiraḥ patrāgrasaṃyuktaṃ karoti yadi mānavaḥ | na yāmyā yātanā hyasya duḥkhadātrī bhaviṣyati

Translation

Si un homme pose sur sa tête la pointe d’une feuille (en signe sacré), alors les tourments issus de Yama ne deviendront pas pour lui dispensateurs de douleur.

Word by Word

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; neuter, nominative/accusative singular

• पत्राग्रसंयुक्तम्: connected with the leaf-tip
• पत्राग्रसंयुक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पत्र-अग्र-सम्+युज् (धातु) → संयुक्त (कृदन्त) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); neuter nom/acc singular; ‘joined/connected with the tip of a leaf’

• करोति: does/makes
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; present indicative, 3rd person singular

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• मानवः: a man/person
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; masculine nominative singular

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• याम्या: Yama-related
• याम्या: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: याम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; feminine nominative singular; ‘of Yama/pertaining to Yama’

• यातना: torment/punishment
• यातना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यातना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; feminine nominative singular

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• अस्य: of him/of this person
• अस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; genitive singular pronoun

• दुःखदात्री: sorrow-giving
• दुःखदात्री: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःख-दातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; feminine nominative singular; ‘giver of sorrow’

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; simple future, 3rd person singular

Speaker

Pārvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee gently places a small bilva leaf-tip upon the crown; behind, a shadowy Yama imagery recedes, replaced by calm light from the shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Yama (implied by yāmyā)
• bilva leaf-tip
• human (mānava)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional marks and vow-symbols, when done with reverence, are portrayed as safeguards that lessen fear of post-death suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The bilva sanctity emphasized in Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya, where bilva-related acts are credited with protective fruits.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Place/keep a leaf-tip as a sacred token upon the head (a devotional observance) to gain protection from yāmyā yātanā.