Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

एवमुक्त्वा महादेवस्ततश्चादर्शनं गतः । हंसोऽपि च गृहं गत्वा पुत्रानाप महोदयान्

Transliteration

evamuktvā mahādevastataścādarśanaṃ gataḥ | haṃso'pi ca gṛhaṃ gatvā putrānāpa mahodayān

Translation

Après avoir ainsi parlé, Mahādeva disparut de la vue. Haṃsa, lui aussi, rentra chez lui et obtint des fils d’une grande fortune et prospérité.

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्/adverb): ‘एवम्’ = thus

• uktvā: having said
• uktvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund): ‘उक्त्वा’ = having said

• mahādevaḥ: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• mahādevaḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (‘महान् देवः’)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्/adverb): ‘ततः’ = then/from there

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

• adarśanam: disappearance (invisibility)
• adarśanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘अदर्शन’ = disappearance/invisibility

• gataḥ: went
• gataḥ: Kriyā (Main predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle) प्रयोगः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘गतः’ = gone (used predicatively)

• haṃsaḥ: the swan
• haṃsaḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: haṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/अपि = also/even)

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

• gṛham: home
• gṛham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund): ‘गत्वा’ = having gone

• putrān: sons
• putrān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• āpa: obtained
• āpa: Kriyā (Main predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (आप् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; ‘आप’ = obtained/reached

• mahodayān: greatly prosperous
• mahodayān: Karma (Object complement/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + udaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (‘महान् उदयः’ = great prosperity); विशेषणम् (putrān)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, within Sūta’s narration of the māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mahādeva, after speaking a boon, fades from sight in a radiant aura; Haṃsa, humbled and grateful, returns to his home where children of great fortune are born—suggesting a transition from sacred encounter to household prosperity.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Haṃsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The māhātmya validates tīrtha-worship through narrative outcome: devotion culminates in tangible grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same Nāgarakhaṇḍa liṅga-tīrtha whose worship is shown to be effective through Haṃsa’s result.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, the prior worship/japa at the liṅga; this verse records the resulting boon.