Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

सापि कर्णोत्पला प्राप्य किंचित्पुण्यं जलाशयम् । तपस्तेपे प्रतिष्ठाप्य गौरीं श्रद्धासमन्विता

Transliteration

sāpi karṇotpalā prāpya kiṃcitpuṇyaṃ jalāśayam | tapastepe pratiṣṭhāpya gaurīṃ śraddhāsamanvitā

Translation

അവളും—കർണോത്പലാ—ഒരു പുണ്യകരമായ ജലാശയത്തിലെത്തി. അവിടെ ഗൗരിയെ പ്രതിഷ്ഠിച്ച് ശ്രദ്ധയോടെ തപസ്സു ചെയ്തു.

Word by Word

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक अव्यय (also/even)

• कर्णोत्पला: Karṇotpalā (proper name)
• कर्णोत्पला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण + उत्पल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समास: कर्मधारय (कर्णे उत्पलमिव/कर्णोत्पल-नाम्नी)

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Kriya-viseshana (पूर्वकालिक क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), धातु: प्र-आप्

• किंचित्-पुण्यम्: some (small) merit
• किंचित्-पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: किंचित् (अव्यय/सर्वनाम) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समास: कर्मधारय (किंचित् = अल्पम्; अल्पं पुण्यम्)

• जलाशयम्: a reservoir/pond
• जलाशयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल + आशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जलस्य आशयः)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• तेपे: performed
• तेपे: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: having installed/established
• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: Kriya-viseshana (पूर्वकालिक क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), धातु: प्रति-स्था (to स्थापित/establish)

• गौरीम्: Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• गौरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• श्रद्धा-समन्विता: endowed with faith
• श्रद्धा-समन्विता: Karta (as subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक) + समन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समास: तृतीया-तत्पुरुष (श्रद्धया समन्विता)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṇya-jalāśaya (unnamed) associated with Gartā-tīrtha/Hāṭakeśvara

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Karṇotpalā reaches a serene reservoir with lotus blooms; she installs a small Gaurī image or icon on a clean platform, offers flowers and water, then undertakes austerities—seated near the water, eyes lowered, hands in japa.

Characters & Entities

• Karṇotpalā
• Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• jalāśaya (holy pond)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faithful installation of the Divine Mother and disciplined tapas at a holy water-site are praised as powerful forms of devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A “puṇya jalāśaya” (holy pond/reservoir) associated with the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra narrative is indicated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pratiṣṭhā (installation) of Gaurī and tapas (austerity) are mentioned.