Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

बाल्ये वयसि यत्पापं वार्धके यौवनेऽपि वा । तद्यास्यति क्षयं तस्य तमः सूर्योदये यथा

Transliteration

bālye vayasi yatpāpaṃ vārdhake yauvane'pi vā | tadyāsyati kṣayaṃ tasya tamaḥ sūryodaye yathā

Translation

ബാല്യത്തിൽ, യൗവനത്തിൽ, വാർദ്ധക്യത്തിൽ ചെയ്ത ഏതു പാപവും അവനിൽ നിന്ന് ക്ഷയിച്ചുപോകും; സൂര്യോദയത്തിൽ അന്ധകാരം അകലുന്നതുപോലെ.

Word by Word

• बाल्ये: in childhood
• बाल्ये: Adhikarana (Time/state)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• वयसि: in age (stage of life)
• वयसि: Adhikarana (Time/state)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karma (Object; correlating with तत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; सम्बन्ध-प्रयोगः

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• वार्धके: in old age
• वार्धके: Adhikarana (Time/state)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• यौवने: in youth
• यौवने: Adhikarana (Time/state)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यौवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Nipata (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्ययम् (also/even)

• वा: or
• वा: Nipata (Disjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्ययम् (or)

• तत्: that (sin)
• तत्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; यत् इत्यस्य प्रतिनिर्देशः

• यास्यति: will go/attain
• यास्यति: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• क्षयम्: destruction/cessation
• क्षयम्: Gati-karma (Goal/Result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Of him)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• तमः: darkness
• तमः: Drishtanta (Example subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• सूर्योदये: at sunrise
• सूर्योदये: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य + उदय (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (सूर्यस्य उदयः)

• यथा: as/just as
• यथा: Upamana-marker (Simile)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमार्थक-अव्ययम् (comparative particle)

Speaker

Bhagavān (Śiva/Maheśvara) (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Acaleśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic tableau: darkness recedes as the sun rises over a temple silhouette; a devotee emerges from shadow into light after worship, signifying sins from childhood to old age dissolving.

Characters & Entities

• Pāpa (sin)
• Sūryodaya (sunrise)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere Śaiva observance has the power to burn away accumulated wrongdoing across all stages of life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The result is tied to the same Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha where the liṅga worship is prescribed (Acaleśvara setting).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse states the fruit (sin-destruction) of the previously described liṅga worship/observance.