Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

नीलपर्वतजं पुण्यं षष्ठांशेन लभेत सः । त्रिनरास्तत्र तिष्ठन्ति सादित्यमरुतैः सह

Transliteration

nīlaparvatajaṃ puṇyaṃ ṣaṣṭhāṃśena labheta saḥ | trinarāstatra tiṣṭhanti sādityamarutaiḥ saha

Translation

അവൻ നീലപർവതത്തിൽ നിന്നുയരുന്ന പുണ്യത്തിന്റെ ആറിലൊന്ന് ഭാഗം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു. അവിടെ ആദിത്യന്മാരും മരുത്തുകളും കൂടെ മൂന്നു ദിവ്യപുരുഷന്മാർ വസിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• nīla-parvata-jam: arising from the Nīla mountain
• nīla-parvata-jam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nīla (प्रातिपदिक) + parvata (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifier) पुण्यम्; समासः: nīla-parvata-ja = 'born/produced from Nīlaparvata'

• puṇyam: merit / holy benefit
• puṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम् (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• ṣaṣṭhāṃśena: by a sixth part / in one-sixth measure
• ṣaṣṭhāṃśena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + aṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम् (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम् (Singular); करणम् (means/measure)

• labheta: may obtain / should obtain
• labheta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम् (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम् (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• tri-narāḥ: three men
• tri-narāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम् (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (Plural); द्विगु-समासः = 'three men'

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (locative adverb)

• tiṣṭhanti: stand / remain
• tiṣṭhanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• sa-āditya-marutaiḥ: with the Ādityas and the Maruts
• sa-āditya-marutaiḥ: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ 'with') + āditya (प्रातिपदिक) + marut (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम् (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम् (Plural); द्वन्द्व-समासः: āditya + marut; 'sa-' = सहार्थक-पूर्वपद (with)

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; सहार्थक-निपातः/उपपद (postposition 'with', governs instrumental)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nīlaparvata (as puṇya-source) / associated Śūlabheda-kshetra

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Avanīpati / king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A blue-hued sacred mountain rises behind a cave-liṅga shrine; three radiant divine figures stand as guardians; above them, solar Ādityas and wind Maruts appear as luminous presences in the sky.

Characters & Entities

• Nīlaparvata
• Tri-narāḥ (three divine persons)
• Ādityas
• Maruts

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places participate in a hierarchy of merit, and divine presences (devas) are portrayed as actively inhabiting revered landscapes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nīlaparvata is referenced as a benchmark of merit, while the immediate locale is praised as sharing a portion of that mountain’s puṇya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the verse asserts the merit obtained and the divine beings said to reside there.