Shloka 22 - Adhyaya 101 - Tirtha Mahatmya - Nagara Khanda | Malayalam | Vedapath

Vyasa

Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

विनाशं सहसा प्राप्तस्तस्मान्मान्याः सुराः सदा । यदि कश्चित्समायाति मानुषोऽत्र कथंचन । मत्काय एव द्रष्टव्यः सर्वैरेव निशाचरैः

Transliteration

vināśaṃ sahasā prāptastasmānmānyāḥ surāḥ sadā | yadi kaścitsamāyāti mānuṣo'tra kathaṃcana | matkāya eva draṣṭavyaḥ sarvaireva niśācaraiḥ

Translation

അഹങ്കാരിക്ക് പെട്ടെന്നു നാശം സംഭവിക്കുന്നു; അതുകൊണ്ട് ദേവന്മാർ സദാ മാന്യരാണ്. പിന്നെ ഏതെങ്കിലും വിധത്തിൽ ഒരു മനുഷ്യൻ ഇവിടെ വന്നാൽ, എല്ലാ നിശാചരരും അവനെ എന്റെ തന്നെ ദേഹമായി കരുതി—അവധ്യനും പൂജ്യനും ആയി—കാണണം.

Word by Word

विनाशम्destruction

सहसाsuddenly

प्राप्तःhaving met/attained

तस्मात्therefore, from that

मान्याःhonorable

सुराःgods

सदाalways

यदिif

कश्चित्someone

समायातिcomes, arrives

मानुषःa human

अत्रhere

कथंचनsomehow, by any means

मत्कायःmy body

एवonly/indeed

द्रष्टव्यःmust be seen/identified

सर्वैःby all

एवindeed

निशाचरैःby the night-rangers (demons)

Speaker

Rāma (implied, addressing Vibhīṣaṇa; issuing protective injunctions)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu-tīrtha (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solemn decree: the arrogant meet sudden destruction; therefore honor the gods. Any human arriving at this place must be treated by all night-rangers as the speaker’s own body—an edict of sacred immunity.

Characters & Entities

Rāma

Vibhīṣaṇa

Surāḥ (Devas)

Niśācarāḥ (Rākṣasas)

Mānuṣa (humans/pilgrims)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence for the gods and protection of visitors are essential dharmas; harming the innocent leads to swift ruin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse implies a protected sacred zone within the chapter’s tīrtha-māhātmya, but does not name the site in this snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is stated; a dharmic injunction is given: treat any arriving human as inviolable.