Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

स्थंडिलं हस्तमात्रं च स्थंडिले प्रत्यकल्पयत् । अग्निमीऌएतिमंत्रेण ततोऽग्निं स निधाय च

Transliteration

sthaṃḍilaṃ hastamātraṃ ca sthaṃḍile pratyakalpayat | agnimīḷetimaṃtreṇa tato'gniṃ sa nidhāya ca

Translation

അവൻ കൈമാത്ര അളവിലുള്ള സ്ഥണ്ഡിലം നിർമ്മിച്ച് അതിന്മേൽ വിധി ക്രമപ്പെടുത്തി; തുടർന്ന് “അഗ്നിം ഈളേ…” മന്ത്രം ജപിച്ച് പവിത്ര അഗ്നിയെ സ്ഥാപിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• स्थण्डिलम्: altar-ground; a prepared earthen spot
• स्थण्डिलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थण्डिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• हस्तमात्रम्: of hand-measure size
• हस्तमात्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हस्त (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक-विशेषण (measure)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• स्थण्डिले: on the altar-ground
• स्थण्डिले: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थण्डिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• प्रत्यकल्पयत्: he arranged/prepared (there)
• प्रत्यकल्पयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + √कॢप् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अग्निमीळेति: “agnim īḷe” (the mantra phrase)
• अग्निमीळेति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्निम् (अग्नि-प्रातिपदिक) + ईळे (√ईळ्/√ईड् धातु, वैदिक-प्रयोग) + इति (अव्यय)
• Form: मन्त्र-उद्धरणरूप अव्यय-समूह; इति-प्रयोग (quotative)

• मन्त्रेण: by/with the mantra
• मन्त्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereafter)

• अग्निम्: fire
• अग्निम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• निधाय: having placed
• निधाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + √धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया (having placed)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone ritualist measures a small square sthaṇḍila with his hand, smooths the earth, and kindles a bright sacrificial fire while reciting the opening Ṛgvedic Agni hymn.

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Ṛgveda (Agnim īḷe)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred order (vidhi) sanctifies action: even the fire is approached through measured preparation and Vedic invocation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s tīrtha-māhātmya chapter, but it is a procedural instruction not naming the site here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Construct a hand-measure sthaṇḍila and install Agni using the Ṛgvedic “Agnim īḷe…” mantra.