Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच । तस्मात्तत्रैव गच्छ त्वं प्रेषि तोऽसि किमत्र वै । नरके तव वासो न श्वेतद्वीपसमुद्भवम्

Transliteration

brahmovāca | tasmāttatraiva gaccha tvaṃ preṣi to'si kimatra vai | narake tava vāso na śvetadvīpasamudbhavam

Translation

ബ്രഹ്മാവ് പറഞ്ഞു: അതിനാൽ നീ അവിടേക്കുതന്നെ പോകുക; നീ അയക്കപ്പെട്ടവനാണ്—ഇവിടെ നിനക്ക് എന്ത് കാര്യം? ശ്വേതദ്വീപത്തിൽ നിന്നു ഉദ്ഭവിച്ച നിനക്ക് നരകത്തിൽ വാസമില്ല.

Word by Word

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Speaker)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा विभक्ति

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् लकार (Perfect); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Reason/therefore)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत्; हेत्वर्थे 'therefore'

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphasis)

• gaccha: go
• gaccha: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट् लकार (Imperative); परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; एकवचन; प्रथमा विभक्ति

• preṣi-taḥ: sent, dispatched
• preṣi-taḥ: Karta (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra+iṣ (धातु) → preṣita (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) 'sent/commissioned'; पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा विभक्ति; विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• asi: are
• asi: Kriya (Copula)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार (Present); परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन

• kim: what?
• kim: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (interrogative)

• atra: here, in this matter
• atra: Adhikarana (Context)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/विषयवाचक 'here/in this matter'

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphasis)

• narake: in hell
• narake: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative)

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; एकवचन; षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive)

• vāsaḥ: dwelling, residence
• vāsaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा विभक्ति

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• śvetadvīpasamudbhavam: (one) arisen from Śvetadvīpa
• śvetadvīpasamudbhavam: Karma (Object complement/elliptic)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śveta + dvīpa + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया विभक्ति; विशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'श्वेतद्वीपात् समुद्भवम्' (arisen from Śvetadvīpa)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: the dispatched being (unnamed in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā speaks authoritatively, dismissing fear of hell and identifying the other as Śvetadvīpa-born; the scene contrasts luminous white-island symbolism with the dark suggestion of naraka.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Śvetadvīpa
• naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine authority (Brahmā) confirms karmic exception/protection for one linked to a sacred origin, reinforcing cosmic moral order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śvetadvīpa is invoked as a sacred realm; the surrounding passage still belongs to a Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it is a divine command regarding movement/destination and the denial of naraka-residence.