Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

आराधयतु चाव्यग्रः क्षेत्रेऽत्रैव त्रिलोचनम् । प्रसादात्तस्य देवस्य शीघ्रं मृत्युमवाप्स्यति

Transliteration

ārādhayatu cāvyagraḥ kṣetre'traiva trilocanam | prasādāttasya devasya śīghraṃ mṛtyumavāpsyati

Translation

അവൻ അവ്യഗ്രചിത്തനായി ഈ ക്ഷേത്രത്തിലേ തന്നെ ത്രിലോചനൻ (ശിവൻ)നെ ആരാധിക്കട്ടെ; ആ ദേവന്റെ പ്രസാദത്താൽ അവൻ शीഘ്രം മരണത്തെ പ്രാപിക്കും (അവസ്ഥയിൽ നിന്ന് വിമുക്തനാകും)।

Word by Word

• ārādhayatu: let him worship; may he propitiate
• ārādhayatu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-rādh (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• avyagraḥ: undistracted; attentive
• avyagraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-vyagra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); नञ्-समास/उपसर्गयुक्त (un-distracted)

• kṣetre: in the sacred place/field
• kṣetre: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• atra: here
• atra: Avyaya (Place modifier/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Avyaya (Emphasis/निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• trilocanam: Trilocana (the three-eyed one, Śiva)
• trilocanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri-locana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—बहुव्रीहि (त्रीणि लोचनानि यस्य सः)

• prasādāt: from (his) grace
• prasādāt: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prasāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• tasya: of that; of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• devasya: of the god
• devasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• śīghram: quickly
• śīghram: Avyaya (Manner/रीति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śīghram (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: quickly)

• mṛtyum: death
• mṛtyum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• avāpsyati: will obtain; will meet with
• avāpsyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-āp (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Māṇḍavya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devas (and implicitly Dharmarāja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dharmarāja, now instructed, turns toward a Śiva shrine of Trilocana within the kṣetra, worshipping with unwavering focus; Śiva’s three-eyed presence radiates grace, and the burden of the curse dissolves into a swift, liberating end.

Characters & Entities

• Māṇḍavya
• Trilocana (Śiva)
• Kṣetra (sacred field)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worship of Śiva in a sanctified kṣetra, performed with focused mind, is presented as a swift means to divine resolution and release.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate ‘kṣetra’ of the Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrtha-māhātmya is praised; the narrative’s local sanctum is tied to later tīrtha fame (Dīrghikā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ārādhana/upāsanā of Trilocana (Śiva) in the kṣetra, specifically with avyagra (undistracted) attention.