Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

योजयेत्प्रत्यहं देवि न स पापैः प्रलिप्यते । एतद्द्वादशलिंगारं कूर्मस्थं द्वादशाक्षरम्

Transliteration

yojayetpratyahaṃ devi na sa pāpaiḥ pralipyate | etaddvādaśaliṃgāraṃ kūrmasthaṃ dvādaśākṣaram

Translation

Ô Déesse, celui qui l’applique chaque jour n’est pas souillé par les péchés. C’est le mantra de douze syllabes, de forme aux douze liṅga, demeurant dans le Kūrmā (le support-tortue).

Word by Word

• योजयेत्: should apply/join
• योजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √युज् (धातु; युज् ‘to join/apply’)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रति-अहम्: every day
• प्रति-अहम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय) + अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय (adverbial)

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• पापैः: by sins
• पापैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• प्रलिप्यते: is tainted
• प्रलिप्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√लिप् (धातु; लिप् ‘to smear/taint’, उपसर्ग: प्र)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• द्वादशलिङ्गारम्: having twelve liṅga-forms
• द्वादशलिङ्गारम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश-लिङ्ग-आकार (प्रातिपदिक; द्वादश + लिङ्ग + आकार)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (संख्यापूर्वक)

• कूर्मस्थम्: situated in the tortoise (kūrma)
• कूर्मस्थम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कूर्म-स्थ (प्रातिपदिक; कूर्म + स्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास

• द्वादशाक्षरम्: a twelve-syllabled (mantra)
• द्वादशाक्षरम्: Samanaadhikarana (Predicate nominal/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादश-अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक; द्वादश + अक्षर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (संख्यापूर्वक)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; addressing Devī as listener within the narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Devī-facing teacher (or narrator) instructs daily mantra-application; behind them a cosmic tortoise supports a luminous mandala where twelve liṅga-like emblems encircle a twelve-syllabled mantra glyph.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Dvādaśākṣara
• Dvādaśa-liṅga (concept)
• Kūrma (tortoise-support)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Consistency in daily sādhana protects one from the accumulation of pāpa; mantra-practice is presented as a purifier aligned with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse does not directly name a location; it teaches a daily discipline that complements the merit of tīrtha-oriented devotion.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Daily application/practice of the dvādaśākṣara with its associated structure (twelvefold form) and contemplative support.