Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

अथ सा दयिता मह्यं तदादाय कलेवरम् । हर्षेण महताविष्टा प्रविष्टा हव्यवाहनम्

Transliteration

atha sā dayitā mahyaṃ tadādāya kalevaram | harṣeṇa mahatāviṣṭā praviṣṭā havyavāhanam

Translation

Alors mon aimée, prenant ce corps qui était le mien, saisie d’une grande joie, entra dans le feu sacrificiel.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (indeclinable; then/now marker)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (fem. nom. sg.)

• दयिता: beloved (woman)
• दयिता: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दयित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भाववाचक/व्यक्तिवाचक (fem. nom. sg.)

• मह्यम्: to me
• मह्यम्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उभयलिङ्ग/सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन (dat. sg.)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (neut. acc. sg.)

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); ‘आदाय’ = having taken

• कलेवरम्: body
• कलेवरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलेवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन (acc. sg.)

• हर्षेण: with joy
• हर्षेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (instr. sg.)

• महतā: great
• महतā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (instr. sg.); विशेषण

• आविष्टा: overcome/filled
• आविष्टा: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-विश् (धातु) → आविष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘आविष्टा’ = possessed/overcome

• प्रविष्टा: entered
• प्रविष्टा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-विश् (धातु) → प्रविष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle) स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्रियार्थे (used as finite: entered)

• हव्यवाहनम्: the fire (Agni)
• हव्यवाहनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हव्य + वाहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘हव्यं वहति’ इति)

Speaker

Rājā (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattamāḥ (best of Brahmins) (context continues in subsequent verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted wife lifts or embraces her husband’s lifeless body and steps into a blazing sacrificial fire, her face serene with paradoxical joy; priests and onlookers stand stunned as flames rise like a golden pillar.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (Havyavāhana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The narrative highlights unwavering spousal fidelity and the extraordinary transformative power attributed to actions performed in a sacred Śaiva setting.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The sanctified temple environment associated with Mahākāla/Hara in the chapter’s Tīrthamāhātmya; the verse itself focuses on the event rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it narrates the beloved entering fire (havyavāhana), a motif of extreme fidelity in Purāṇic storytelling.