Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

ततः प्राणाग्निहोत्रोत्थैर्मंत्रैराथर्वणैः शुभैः । मृत्पिंडान्पंच संयोज्य ह्येकस्थाने समाहिता

Transliteration

tataḥ prāṇāgnihotrotthairmaṃtrairātharvaṇaiḥ śubhaiḥ | mṛtpiṃḍānpaṃca saṃyojya hyekasthāne samāhitā

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം പ്രാണാഗ്നിഹോത്രകർമ്മത്തിൽ നിന്നുയർന്ന മംഗളമായ ആഥർവണ മന്ത്രങ്ങളാൽ ദേവി അഞ്ചു മൺപിണ്ഡങ്ങളെ ചേർത്ത്, ഏകാഗ്രചിത്തയായി ഒരിടത്ത് സമാഹരിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana/Temporal (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-तस्मात्-आदि)
• Form: अव्यय, अनन्तरार्थे (thereafter)

• प्राणाग्निहोत्रोत्थैः: with those arising from prāṇa-agnihotra
• प्राणाग्निहोत्रोत्थैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राण-अग्निहोत्र-उत्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुवचन, तृतीया (Instrumental), नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासः (प्राणाग्निहोत्रात् उत्थाः) = ‘arisen from the prāṇa-agnihotra’

• मन्त्रैः: with mantras
• मन्त्रैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• आथर्वणैः: Atharvan (pertaining to Atharvaveda)
• आथर्वणैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आथर्वण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (मन्त्रैः)

• शुभैः: auspicious
• शुभैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (मन्त्रैः)

• मृत्पिण्डान्: clay lumps
• मृत्पिण्डान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्-पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन; समासः (मृदा: पिण्डाः)

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-अव्यय, परिमाणे; विशेषणम् (मृत्पिण्डान्)

• संयोज्य: having joined
• संयोज्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-युज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having joined/combined’

• हि: indeed
• हि: Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• एकस्थाने: in one place
• एकस्थाने: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक-स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन; समासः (एकं स्थानम्)

• समाहिता: being composed/concentrated
• समाहिता: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-धा (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘collected/concentrated/settled’

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrative voice; speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Girijā, composed and vow-bound, chants Atharvan mantras; five clay lumps are formed and brought together in one consecrated spot, with subtle fire-breath symbolism.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Girijā/Pārvatī implied)
• Atharva-mantra
• Prāṇāgnihotra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner concentration (samādhi-like composure) and mantra-guided ritual action are presented as means to sacralize matter and align it with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya (sacred geography) chapter of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa, but this snippet alone does not name the specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use of auspicious Atharvan mantras connected with prāṇāgnihotra, and the ritual joining/placing of five clay lumps in one locus.