Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तस्या उपरि नारी या जलयन्त्रं दधाति वै । स्राव्यमाणं दिवानक्तं सौभाग्यं परमं लभेत्

Transliteration

tasyā upari nārī yā jalayantraṃ dadhāti vai | srāvyamāṇaṃ divānaktaṃ saubhāgyaṃ paramaṃ labhet

Translation

അവളുടെ മീതെ സ്ത്രീ ആരെങ്കിലും ജലയന്ത്രം സ്ഥാപിച്ച്, പകലും രാത്രിയും വെള്ളം തുള്ളിത്തുള്ളിയായി ഒഴുകുമാറാക്കിയാൽ, അവൾ പരമ സൗഭാഗ്യം പ്രാപിക്കും।

Word by Word

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• upari: upon; above
• upari: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: upari (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृश/देशवाचक (prepositional adverb: above/on)

• nārī: a woman
• nārī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्ता

• yā: who
• yā: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• jalayantram: a water-device; water apparatus
• jalayantram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala-yantra (प्रातिपदिक; जल + यन्त्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म

• dadhāti: places; holds; sets
• dadhāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक निपात

• srāvyamāṇam: being caused to flow; flowing
• srāvyamāṇam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sru (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि (present passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; जलयन्त्र-विशेषण (being made to flow)

• divānaktaṃ: day and night
• divānaktaṃ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: divā-nakta (प्रातिपदिक; दिवा + नक्त)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालवाचक (by day and night)

• saubhāgyam: good fortune
• saubhāgyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saubhāgya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म

• paramam: supreme; highest
• paramam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (of saubhāgya)

• labhet: would obtain; may gain
• labhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcapiṇḍikā-Gaurī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (assembly)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A woman devotee installs a jalayantra above the shrine area so water drips continuously day and night; the drip stream glistens in lamplight; attendants keep vessels filled; Gaurī’s presence is central.

Characters & Entities

• Gaurī Pañcapiṇḍikā
• Jalayantra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained devotional offering (continuous water-flow) is praised as a powerful means to gain auspiciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaurī Pañcapiṇḍikā sacred setting within Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s Tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Setting up a jalayantra to provide continuous dripping/flow of water day and night (a form of uninterrupted abhiṣeka).