Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

अघमर्षं जपंश्चैव यः करिष्यति तोयगः । मम मूर्तेः पुरः स्थित्वा पैलमन्त्रपुरःसरम्

Transliteration

aghamarṣaṃ japaṃścaiva yaḥ kariṣyati toyagaḥ | mama mūrteḥ puraḥ sthitvā pailamantrapuraḥsaram

Translation

જે જલ અર્પણ કરશે અને અઘમર્ષણનો જપ પણ કરશે, તે મારી મૂર્તિ સામે ઊભો રહી—પૈલ મંત્રથી આરંભ કરીને—(એવું કરશે).

Word by Word

• aghamarṣam: Aghamarṣa (a mantra/hymn)
• aghamarṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aghamarṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; accusative singular

• japan: reciting/muttering
• japan: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jap (जप्)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; nominative singular masculine (agreeing with यः)

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

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; nominative singular

• kariṣyati: will do/perform
• kariṣyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; parasmaipada

• toyagaḥ: one who goes into water / bathing person
• toyagaḥ: Karta (Subject apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: toya+ga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (उपपद-तत्पुरुष: तोयेन गच्छति/तोयगतः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; nominative singular

• mama: my
• mama: Shashthi-Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; genitive singular

• mūrteḥ: of (my) form/image
• mūrteḥ: Shashthi-Sambandha (Relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; genitive singular

• puraḥ: in front (of)
• puraḥ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: puraḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक अव्यय (adverb: in front of)

• sthitvā: having stood
• sthitvā: Kriya (Prior action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्था)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• paila-mantra-puraḥsaram: with Paila’s mantra as the foremost
• paila-mantra-puraḥsaram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paila+mantra+puraḥsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (कर्मधारय/षष्ठीसम्बन्धार्थ: पैलस्य मन्त्रः, तस्य पुरःसरः = having Paila’s mantra as the foremost); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; accusative singular (qualifying an implied कर्म like जपम्/अनुष्ठानम्)

Speaker

Brahmā (continuing from v.21, first-person ‘mama mūrteḥ’)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aghamarṣaṇa-japa with udaka offering before Brahmā’s mūrti (rite within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra narrative)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijottamāḥ / pilgrims (generalized instruction)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee stands before a deity image (Brahmā implied), holding a water vessel, pouring a libation while reciting Aghamarṣaṇa; priests nearby guide with palm-leaf/recitation cues.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Aghamarṣaṇa
• Paila
• Mūrti
• Toya (water offering)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is achieved by uniting devotion (standing before the deity’s form) with Vedic recitation and water-offerings performed in a tīrtha setting.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The act is situated before Brahmā’s mūrti within the chapter’s tīrtha/kṣetra context; the specific site-name is not repeated in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform toya-arpaṇa (water offering) and japa of the Aghamarṣaṇa, beginning with/preceded by the Paila-mantra, while standing before the deity’s image.