Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

ततःप्रभृति नो तत्र कश्चिन्मर्त्यो महीतले । प्रासादं कुरुते भीत्या तडागं कूपमेव च

Transliteration

tataḥprabhṛti no tatra kaścinmartyo mahītale | prāsādaṃ kurute bhītyā taḍāgaṃ kūpameva ca

Translation

അന്നുമുതൽ ആ സ്ഥലത്ത് ഭയത്താൽ ഒരു മനുഷ്യനും പ്രാസാദം പണിയുന്നില്ല; കുളം പോലും, കിണറും പോലും നിർമ്മിക്കുന്നില്ല।

Word by Word

• ततःप्रभृति: from that time onward
• ततःप्रभृति: Sambandha (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः + प्रभृति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्ययीभाव-समास; कालवाचक (since then)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• कश्चित्: anyone
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

• मर्त्यः: mortal man
• मर्त्यः: Apposition (Karta-noun/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (कश्चित् इत्यस्य विशेष्य/समानााधिकरण)

• महीतले: on the earth’s surface
• महीतले: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (मही-तल = surface of the earth)

• प्रासादम्: a palace/temple-building
• प्रासादम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कुरुते: builds/makes
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• भीत्या: out of fear
• भीत्या: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तडागम्: a pond/tank
• तडागम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तडाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कूपम्: a well
• कूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from immediate narrative context of Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (protected spot)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A quiet, untouched sacred field marked by subtle signs of liṅgas beneath; villagers keep distance; no palaces, no wells—only boundary stones, small shrines, and offerings at the edge.

Characters & Entities

• martya (mortal)
• prāsāda (palace)
• taḍāga (pond)
• kūpa (well)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A kṣetra can carry intense sacred potency; reverence includes honoring local prohibitions shaped by past divine events.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya narrative in Nāgara-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; it records a place-based restraint (avoidance of building) arising from fear of the kṣetra’s power.