Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

नातिदूरे वनादस्मादत्र संति जलाशयाः । तेषामेकतमे पद्मं विद्यतेऽधोमुखं स्थितम्

Transliteration

nātidūre vanādasmādatra saṃti jalāśayāḥ | teṣāmekatame padmaṃ vidyate'dhomukhaṃ sthitam

Translation

ບໍ່ໄກຈາກປ່ານີ້ ມີອ່າງນ້ຳຫຼາຍແຫ່ງ. ໃນອ່າງໜຶ່ງ ມີດອກບົວໜຶ່ງຕັ້ງຢູ່ ໂດຍຫັນໜ້າລົງລຸ່ມ.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Niṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेधार्थक निपात (negation)

• अतिदूरे: at a very far distance
• अतिदूरे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati-dūra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7/अधिकरण), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावसमासः (ati + dūra) = ‘at a very far (place)’; ‘न’ सह—‘not very far’

• वनात्: from the forest
• वनात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5/अपादान), एकवचन

• अस्मात्: from this
• अस्मात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पञ्चमी (5/अपादान), एकवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Deśa (Locative adverb/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• सन्ति: there are
• सन्ति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• जलाशयाः: water-reservoirs; ponds
• जलाशयाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala-āśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (jala + āśaya)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• एकतमे: in one (among them)
• एकतमे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekatama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7/अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘among one of (them)’—सप्तमी-निर्देश

• पद्मम्: a lotus
• पद्मम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• विद्यते: is found; exists
• विद्यते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vid (विद् धातु; ‘to be found’ अर्थे)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• अधोमुखम्: face-down; downward-facing
• अधोमुखम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhas-mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मधारयसमासः (adhas + mukha)

• स्थितम्: standing; placed
• स्थितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √sthā (स्था धातु) + sthita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ‘पद्मम्’ इति विशेषण

Speaker

Aśarīrā Vāṇī (heavenly voice; instructive description)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Aerial-to-ground transition: the voice points out nearby ponds. In one pond, a lotus is shown improbably facing downward beneath the water’s surface or drooping inverted above it, marking the correct jalāśaya.

Characters & Entities

• Water-reservoirs (jalāśaya)
• Lotus (padma)
• Forest (vana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrthas are often recognized through sacred signs in nature, linking landscape to divine intention.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara region, described through nearby lakes and identifying marks.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An instruction for locating the correct water-body/spot prior to bathing or worship.