Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

पपाताऽथ महावृष्टिः कुसुमानां नभस्तलात्

Transliteration

papātā'tha mahāvṛṣṭiḥ kusumānāṃ nabhastalāt

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം ആകാശത്തുനിന്ന് പുഷ്പങ്ങളുടെ വലിയൊരു മഴയുണ്ടായി.

Word by Word

• पपात: fell down
• पपात: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pat (पत् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Sequencing/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (then)

• महावृष्टिः: a great shower
• महावृष्टिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + vṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महती वृष्टिः = great shower)

• कुसुमानाम्: of flowers
• कुसुमानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kusuma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• नभस्तलात्: from the sky/firmament
• नभस्तलात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nabhas + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (नभसः तलम् = surface of the sky)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: From the open sky, a dense rain of flowers falls over the scene, turning the space into a fragrant, celebratory canopy after the miracle.

Characters & Entities

• kusuma (flowers)
• nabhas (heaven/sky)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Heavenly signs confirm righteousness: divine realms honor purity and dharma through auspicious omens.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same emerging tīrtha-site, validated by celestial celebration (puṣpavṛṣṭi) as it becomes sacred.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse records an auspicious divine omen associated with sanctification of place.