Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

तत्रैव वसमानोऽपि यो गच्छेदचलेश्वरम् । मद्वाक्यात्स विशेषेण सर्वैर्वार्यः प्रयत्नतः

Transliteration

tatraiva vasamāno'pi yo gacchedacaleśvaram | madvākyātsa viśeṣeṇa sarvairvāryaḥ prayatnataḥ

Translation

അവിടെ തന്നെയിരിക്കുന്നവനാകട്ടെ അചലേശ്വരനിലേക്കു (പൂജയ്ക്കായി) പോകുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ, എന്റെ കല്പനപ്രകാരം നിങ്ങൾ എല്ലാവരും പ്രത്യേകമായി പരമശ്രമത്തോടെ അവനെ തടയണം.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: “there”)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphasis)

• वसमानः: dwelling
• वसमानः: Karta (कर्ता) (qualifier of यः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वस् (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present participle, परस्मैपद-भाव), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; “dwelling”

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha/Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपवादार्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अचलेश्वरम्: to Acaleśvara
• अचलेश्वरम्: Karma (कर्म) / Gati-karman
• Type: Noun
• Root: अचल-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; घटक: अचल + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म-गति (destination)

• मद्वाक्यात्: from my words
• मद्वाक्यात्: Hetu/Apadana (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्-वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक; घटक: मत् ‘my’ + वाक्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (“from my statement/command”)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Manner (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोग (adverbial instrumental: “especially”)

• सर्वैः: by all
• सर्वैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; “by all (of you)”

• वार्यः: to be restrained/forbidden
• वार्यः: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• प्रयत्नतः: with effort
• प्रयत्नतः: Manner (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोग (adverbial ablative: “with effort/earnestly”)

Speaker

Sahasrākṣa (Indra) (deduced from command sequence 13.36–39)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Acaleśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Messengers enforce a strict order: even inhabitants of the area are to be stopped from going to worship Acaleśvara; the temple’s presence is felt as a radiant, immovable center.

Characters & Entities

• Sahasrākṣa (Indra)
• Acaleśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text dramatizes how devotion to a sacred Śaiva site is so potent that even residents must guard against complacency and overcome obstacles to worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Acaleśvara (the deity and his kṣetra/tīrtha) within the Camatkārapura setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, ‘going to Acaleśvara’ for darśana/pūjā; the verse itself narrates an attempt to hinder that act.