Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

राम उवाच । पितरो यदि तुष्टा मे यच्छंति यदि वांछितम् । तस्मात्तीर्थमिदं पुण्यं मन्नाम्ना लोकविश्रुतम् । रक्तदोषविनिर्मुक्तं सेवितं वरतापसैः

Transliteration

rāma uvāca | pitaro yadi tuṣṭā me yacchaṃti yadi vāṃchitam | tasmāttīrthamidaṃ puṇyaṃ mannāmnā lokaviśrutam | raktadoṣavinirmuktaṃ sevitaṃ varatāpasaiḥ

Translation

Rāma bersabda: “Jika para Pitṛ (leluhur) berkenan dan menganugerahkan yang kuinginkan, maka biarlah tīrtha suci ini termasyhur di dunia dengan namaku—bebas dari cela dosa pertumpahan darah, dan dikunjungi para pertapa luhur yang teguh ber-vrata.”

Word by Word

• rāmaḥ: Rama
• rāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• pitaraḥ: the ancestors (pitṛs)
• pitaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय; शर्तार्थक (conditional particle)

• tuṣṭāḥ: satisfied
• tuṣṭāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tuṣṭa (कृदन्त; √tuṣ)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying pitaraḥ)

• me: of me / my
• me: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; एन्क्लिटिक रूप

• yacchanti: they give
• yacchanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yam (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• vāñchitam: the desired (boon/thing)
• vāñchitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāñchita (कृदन्त; √vāñch)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past participle) रूपेण; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मपद (object)

• tasmāt: therefore / from that
• tasmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति तद्धित-निपातवत्; अपादानार्थे (ablatival adverbial)

• tīrtham: sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• tīrtham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा (predicate/subject)

• idam: this
• idam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying tīrtham)

• puṇyam: holy, meritorious
• puṇyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying tīrtham)

• mat-nāmnā: by my name
• mat-nāmnā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mat (asmad-सम्बन्ध) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative) समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• loka-viśrutam: renowned in the world
• loka-viśrutam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक) + viśruta (कृदन्त; √śru)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (among people) समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying tīrtham)

• rakta-doṣa-vinirmuktam: freed from the fault of blood (blood-guilt)
• rakta-doṣa-vinirmuktam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakta (प्रातिपदिक) + doṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + vinirmukta (कृदन्त; √muc)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying tīrtham)

• sevitam: served/visited
• sevitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sevita (कृदन्त; √sev)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying tīrtham)

• vara-tāpasaiḥ: by excellent ascetics
• vara-tāpasaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक) + tāpasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय समास (excellent ascetics); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

Speaker

Rāma

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmahrada (proposed)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pitṛs (ancestors)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma stands at a quiet water-hollow formed by offerings to the ancestors; he declares a vow that the place become a famed tīrtha, purified of blood-guilt, while austere sages gather nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Tīrtha
• Tāpasas (ascetics)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha becomes spiritually potent not only by geography but by dharmic intention—purity, truthfulness, and ancestral blessing sanctify a place for all.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The holy site is the tīrtha that will become famous by Rāma’s name—later declared as Rāmahrada.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse frames a boon: establishing a tīrtha renowned for purity (freedom from rakta-doṣa) and fit for ascetic practice; it implies pilgrimage and devotional resort to the site.