Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

तद्वन्मासेन निर्मुक्तः कुष्ठेन द्विजसत्तमाः । तस्या देव्याः प्रभावेन कूपिकायां विशेषतः

Transliteration

tadvanmāsena nirmuktaḥ kuṣṭhena dvijasattamāḥ | tasyā devyāḥ prabhāvena kūpikāyāṃ viśeṣataḥ

Translation

അതുപോലെ, ഹേ ദ്വിജശ്രേഷ്ഠന്മാരേ, ഒരു മാസത്തിനകം അവൻ കുഷ്ഠത്തിൽ നിന്ന് മോചിതനായി—പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് ആ കൂപികയിലെ ദേവിയുടെ പ്രഭാവത്താൽ.

Word by Word

• तद्वत्: likewise
• तद्वत्: Sambandha (Comparison/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद्वत् (अव्यय/तद्धितान्त)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; तुल्यतावाचक (like that; similarly)

• मासेन: in/within a month
• मासेन: Kala-adhikarana (Time measure/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया, एकवचन; कालपरिमाणे तृतीया (instrumental of time-span: “within/after a month”)

• निर्मुक्तः: freed
• निर्मुक्तः: Kriya (Result state/फल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर् + मुच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; “released/freed”

• कुष्ठेन: from leprosy
• कुष्ठेन: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया, एकवचन; वियोगे तृतीया (instrumental used for separation: “from leprosy”)

• द्विजसत्तमाः: O best of brāhmaṇas
• द्विजसत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे/आमन्त्रणरूपे (vocative sense though nominative form used); तत्पुरुषः: ‘द्विजानां सत्तमाः’

• तस्याः: of that
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, एकवचन

• देव्याः: of the goddess
• देव्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, एकवचन; तस्याः इत्यस्य विशेष्य

• प्रभावेन: by the power
• प्रभावेन: Karana/Hetu (Means/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया, एकवचन; करण/हेतु (instrumental of cause/means)

• कूपिकायाम्: in the kūpikā (well)
• कूपिकायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूपिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Sambandha (Emphasis/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/विशेषवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (especially)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from narrative address to dvija-sattamāḥ)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Saubhāgya-kūpikā

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattamāḥ (addressed audience of eminent brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The brāhmaṇa, after a month of observance, stands healthy beside the Saubhāgya well; the Devī’s presence is shown as a luminous reflection in the water, indicating ‘viśeṣataḥ’ power residing in the kūpikā.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (tīrtha-devatā)
• Kuṣṭha (leprosy)
• Kūpikā (sacred well)
• Dvijasattama (addressed audience)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha’s efficacy is grounded in the prabhāva (spiritual potency) of its presiding Devī, emphasizing devotion and sacred presence over mere physical water.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The kūpikā (well) associated with the Devī—contextually Saubhāgyakūpī/Candrakūpikā within Adhyāya 133’s tīrtha cluster.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, continued tīrtha-snānā and worship leading to freedom from kuṣṭha within a month.