Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

निवारय द्रुतं गत्वा तातं नो गम्यतामिति । अस्ति पूर्वोत्तरे भागे स्थानादस्माज्जलाशयः

Transliteration

nivāraya drutaṃ gatvā tātaṃ no gamyatāmiti | asti pūrvottare bhāge sthānādasmājjalāśayaḥ

Translation

“വേഗത്തിൽ പോയി നിന്റെ പിതാവിനെ തടയുക; അദ്ദേഹം പോകാതിരിക്കട്ടെ. കാരണം ഈ സ്ഥലത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വടക്കുകിഴക്ക് ദിശയിൽ ഒരു ജലാശയം ഉണ്ട്.”

Word by Word

• निवारय: restrain/stop
• निवारय: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + वṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• द्रुतम्: quickly
• द्रुतम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्रुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial use: quickly)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having gone)

• तातम्: father
• तातम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• नः: our
• नः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); बहुवचन; एन्क्लिटिक (our)

• गम्यताम्: let (him) go / let it be gone
• गम्यताम्: Kriya (Injunctive/passive command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative); कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; विधिलिङ्गार्थे आज्ञा (let it be gone/let him go)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यसमाप्ति/उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• अस्ति: there is
• अस्ति: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन

• पूर्वोत्तरे: in the north-east
• पूर्वोत्तरे: Adhikarana (Location-qualifier/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; विशेषण (in the eastern-northern)

• भागे: in the region/part
• भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• स्थानात्: from the place
• स्थानात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative); एकवचन

• अस्मात्: from this
• अस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative); एकवचन

• जलाशयः: a pond/reservoir
• जलाशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + आशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified woman (giver of the tīrtha guidance)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A messenger is dispatched in haste; the speaker points toward the north-east where a shimmering reservoir lies amid trees, suggesting a hidden but potent tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Jalāśaya (sacred reservoir)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Providence in a tīrtha narrative appears as practical guidance: right action, taken swiftly, can avert suffering and restore dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A jalāśaya (sacred reservoir) located to the north-east of the current place; its miraculous efficacy is explained in the following verses.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied instruction to use the reservoir for purification (snāna/cleansing), which is made explicit later.