Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

तस्माद्यत्र धरापृष्ठे शिलेयं निपतिष्यति । त्रिसंध्यं तत्र गन्तव्यमनुष्ठानार्थमेव हि

Transliteration

tasmādyatra dharāpṛṣṭhe śileyaṃ nipatiṣyati | trisaṃdhyaṃ tatra gantavyamanuṣṭhānārthameva hi

Translation

«C’est pourquoi, partout où, sur la surface de la terre, cette pierre tombera, c’est en ce lieu même qu’il faut se rendre aux trois sandhyā, uniquement pour l’accomplissement de l’observance rituelle».

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (cause/source sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-प्रयोगः (ablatival adverbial) = पञ्चमी-अर्थे ‘therefore/from that’

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक)

• धरापृष्ठे: on the surface of the earth
• धरापृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरा + पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (धरायाः पृष्ठम्)

• शिला: the stone
• शिला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• इयम्: this
• इयम्: Karta (Apposition to शिला)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• निपतिष्यति: will fall down
• निपतिष्यति: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + पत् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्/future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• त्रिसंध्यम्: thrice daily (at the three sandhyās)
• त्रिसंध्यम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्रि + संध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (कालवाचक) = ‘at the three sandhyās/three times daily’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक)

• गन्तव्यम्: one must go / it is to be gone
• गन्तव्यम्: Vidhi (Obligation predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/obligatory), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भावे/कर्मणि प्रयोगः ‘it should be gone’

• अनुष्ठानार्थम्: for the purpose of observance/performance
• अनुष्ठानार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनुष्ठान + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमासः; द्वितीया-अर्थे अव्ययवत् (purpose) = ‘for the sake of performance’

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Particle (restriction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण)

• हि: for/indeed
• हि: Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात)

Speaker

Pitāmaha (Brahmā) (deduced from immediate narrative context in the same adhyāya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic moment of destination: a stone descending toward earth, with sages/pilgrims watching; the future tīrtha is ‘where it lands’, and devotees gather there at the three sandhyās.

Characters & Entities

• Sandhyā (three daily junction-times)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography becomes a living discipline: one should align daily worship with place and time (sandhyā) to deepen dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The site is defined by where the divine stone (śilā) falls on earth—within this adhyāya it is later named as Camatkārapura-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go to the designated kṣetra at the three sandhyās (dawn, midday, dusk) for anuṣṭhāna—regular worship/ritual observance.