Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

नो चेद्व्रजेत पातालं यदत्र विषयेस्थिम् । ततोऽहं संप्रवक्ष्यामि तदिहैकमनाः शृणु

Transliteration

no cedvrajeta pātālaṃ yadatra viṣayesthim | tato'haṃ saṃpravakṣyāmi tadihaikamanāḥ śṛṇu

Translation

ഇത് പാതാളത്തിലേക്ക് പോകാതെയും ഈ ലോകപരിധിയിലേ തന്നെ നിലകൊണ്ടിരുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ, അതിന്റെ കാര്യം ഞാൻ വിശദീകരിക്കും; നീ ഇവിടെ ഏകാഗ്രചിത്തത്തോടെ ശ്രവിക്കൂ.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle: 'if')

• व्रजेत: should go
• व्रजेत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्/विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: व्रज् (गमन)

• पातालम्: to Pātāla (netherworld)
• पातालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• यत्: which/that
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative pronoun/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: 'here')

• विषये: in the region/domain
• विषये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• स्थिम्: state/condition (unclear reading)
• स्थिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; पाठभेद/दुर्लभ-रूप (अर्थ: स्थिति/स्थिरता इत्यादि)

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्/ततः इति अपादानार्थक-अव्यय (ablatival adverb: 'then/from that')

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• संप्रवक्ष्यामि: I will explain fully
• संप्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + सम्+प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: वच् (कथन)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: 'here')

• एकमनाः: single-minded, attentive
• एकमनाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक + मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि/कर्मधारय-समासप्रायः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (सम्बोधन/कर्ता-समाना), एकवचन; अर्थ: एकाग्रचित्तः (single-minded)

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Imperative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: श्रु (श्रवण)

Speaker

Śiva (continuing the explanatory discourse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine speaker pauses the narrative, urging the goddess/listener to hear with focused mind; the background hints at subterranean Pātāla realms and the threshold between worlds.

Characters & Entities

• Pātāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred teachings are to be received with attention; understanding tīrtha-greatness requires focused listening (śravaṇa).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not a single site; it frames a doctrinal explanation supporting the Gaṅgā’s sacred presence in the world.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implicit prescription of śravaṇa (attentive hearing) of dharma-kathā.