Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

विलोकयेद्योऽघविनाशनाय क्षणं प्रभुर्जन्मशतोद्भवाय

Transliteration

vilokayedyo'ghavināśanāya kṣaṇaṃ prabhurjanmaśatodbhavāya

Translation

Quiconque contemple le Seigneur ne fût-ce qu’un instant, dans l’intention de détruire le péché, obtient un mérite qui autrement ne naîtrait qu’après des centaines de vies.

Word by Word

• विलोकयेत्: should behold
• विलोकयेत्: Kriya (क्रिया/Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + लोक् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• अघविनाशनाय: for the destruction of sin
• अघविनाशनाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/Purpose-Dative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अघ (प्रातिपदिक) + विनाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (अघस्य विनाशनम्)

• क्षणम्: for a moment
• क्षणम्: Karma (कर्म/Extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; काल-अवधि (extent of time)

• प्रभुः: the Lord
• प्रभुः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जन्मशतोद्भवाय: for (ending) the arising of hundreds of births (rebirths)
• जन्मशतोद्भवाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/Purpose-Dative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (जन्मशतात् उद्भवः/जन्मशतस्य उद्भवः)

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced from Brahmā–Nārada dialogue context in this adhyāya colophon)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim catches a brief, intense glimpse of the Lord in a sanctum doorway; the moment is depicted as a burst of light washing away dark sin-symbols, while a timeline of many births collapses into that single instant.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhu (Lord)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even brief, sincere God-centered darśana can outweigh long karmic accumulation and rapidly purify sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya setting, the emphasis here is on darśana of the Lord rather than a named bathing-ghāṭ or kuṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (beholding) of the Lord, even momentarily, with the purpose of agha-vināśa (sin-removal).