Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

देवा ऊचुः । एनां यः प्रातरुत्थाय स्पर्शयिष्यति शूलिकाम् । पातकात्स विमुक्तो वा इह लोके भविष्यति

Transliteration

devā ūcuḥ | enāṃ yaḥ prātarutthāya sparśayiṣyati śūlikām | pātakātsa vimukto vā iha loke bhaviṣyati

Translation

ദേവന്മാർ പറഞ്ഞു—ആരെങ്കിലും പ്രഭാതത്തിൽ എഴുന്നേറ്റ് ഈ ശൂലികയെ സ്പർശിച്ചാൽ, അവൻ ഈ ലോകത്തുതന്നെ പാപത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വിമുക്തനാകും.

Word by Word

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच्-धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• एनाम्: this (her/it)
• एनाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: enad (एतद्/एनद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• यः: whoever (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• प्रातर्: in the morning
• प्रातर्: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prātar (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time: in the morning)

• उत्थाय: having risen
• उत्थाय: Kriya (Prior action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ut-sthā (उत् + स्था-धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वक्रिया (having risen)

• स्पर्शयिष्यति: will touch
• स्पर्शयिष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sparś (स्पृश्/स्पर्श-धातु) [णिच् causative]
• Form: लृट् (simple future), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; णिच् (causative) प्रयोगः

• शूलिकाम्: the śūlikā (stake)
• शूलिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūlikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• पातकात्: from sin
• पातकात्: Apadana (Source/Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग (प्रयोगे भेदः); पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• विमुक्तः: freed, released
• विमुक्तः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-muc (वि + मुच्-धातु) + kta → vimukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• वा: or/indeed
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive/optional particle)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb: here)

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• भविष्यति: will be/become
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू-धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Devas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas speak in unison, declaring the rule: whoever rises at dawn and touches the śūlikā is freed from sin in this very life; the śūlikā stands as a sanctified marker.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Śūlikā
• Pātaka (sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha tradition sacralizes disciplined daily acts; dawn practice joined to faith becomes a means of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A local sanctified object (śūlikā) within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrtha-māhātmya kṣetra is praised as sin-destroying.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prātaḥ-utthāna (rising at dawn) followed by sparśa (touching) of the śūlikā for pātaka-vimocana (removal of sin).