Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

परदारकृतं यच्च मात्रापि च समं कृतम् । क्षालयिष्यति तत्पापं स्नापितं पूजितं परैः

Transliteration

paradārakṛtaṃ yacca mātrāpi ca samaṃ kṛtam | kṣālayiṣyati tatpāpaṃ snāpitaṃ pūjitaṃ paraiḥ

Translation

പരസ്ത്രീഗമനത്തിൽ നിന്നുള്ള പാപവും, മാതാവിനോടുള്ള അപരാധസമമായ ഭീകരപാപവും—ഇത് സ്നാപനം ചെയ്ത് വിധിപൂർവ്വം പൂജിച്ചാൽ കഴുകി നീങ്ങും.

Word by Word

• परदारकृतम्: done with another’s wife
• परदारकृतम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर-दार-कृत (प्रातिपदिक; पर + दार + कृत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle used adjectivally; qualifying पापम् understood)

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; relative pronoun)

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

• मात्रा: by measure, even by a little
• मात्रा: Karaṇa (Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Instrumental, Singular)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कार (particle: even/also)

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

• समम्: equally, to the same extent
• समम्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adverbial-adjective ‘equally’)

• कृतम्: done, committed
• कृतम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP)

• क्षालयिष्यति: will wash away
• क्षालयिष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षल् (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; qualifying पापम्)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• स्नापितम्: (when it is) bathed
• स्नापितम्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Condition/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्ना (धातु) + णिच्
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; णिजन्त (PPP; ‘having been bathed/caused to be bathed’)

• पूजितम्: (when it is) worshipped
• पूजितम्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Condition/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP)

• परैः: by others
• परैः: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Plural)

Speaker

Śiva (implied, continuing the merit statement)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Yājñavalkyeśvara at Hāṭakeśvara

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A penitent devotee, burdened by grave sin, witnesses the liṅga being bathed and worshipped; the abhiṣeka waters are depicted as washing away dark stains that dissolve into light around the sanctum.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s grace accessed through liṅga worship is portrayed as a powerful means of purification even from heavy moral transgressions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra milieu in the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya (Yājñavalkyeśvara narrative).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ritual bathing (abhiṣeka) and worship (pūjā) of the liṅga as a purificatory act (prāyaścitta).