Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

ताततात नमस्कारं मा मे कुरु सहांबया । प्राप्ता स्वर्गगतिर्नाम मम नाशं प्रया स्यति

Transliteration

tātatāta namaskāraṃ mā me kuru sahāṃbayā | prāptā svargagatirnāma mama nāśaṃ prayā syati

Translation

“അച്ഛാ, അച്ഛാ! അമ്മയോടുകൂടിയും എനിക്ക് നമസ്കാരം ചെയ്യരുത്. ഞാൻ സ്വർഗ്ഗഗതി പ്രാപിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്; (അങ്ങനെ ചെയ്താൽ) എന്റെ ആ പ്രാപ്തി നശിക്കും.”

Word by Word

• तात: dear father
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• तात: O father
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (emphatic)

• नमस्कारम्: salutation
• नमस्कारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मा: do not
• मा: Pratishedha (Prohibition/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (prohibitive particle)

• मे: to me / of me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन (Genitive/Dative sg. enclitic)

• कुरु: do/make
• कुरु: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahartha (Accompaniment/सहार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अव्यय (with), सह-योगे तृतीया अपेक्षा

• अम्बया: (your) mother
• अम्बया: Sahartha (Accompaniment/सहार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• प्राप्ता: having attained
• प्राप्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि (having attained)

• स्वर्गगतिः: the path to heaven / heavenly state
• स्वर्गगतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (स्वर्गस्य गतिः); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नाम: indeed
• नाम: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण/ख्यात्यर्थ-निपात (indeed/by name)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• नाशम्: destruction
• नाशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रयास्यति: will go/lead to
• प्रयास्यति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-या (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Daughter of Devaśarmā (speaking to her parents)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The daughter addresses her father tenderly yet firmly—‘Father, do not bow’—with a calm, otherworldly aura; the parents stand conflicted, love meeting sacred caution.

Characters & Entities

• Devaśarmā
• Mother (ambā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit gained through sacred causes is to be protected by right conduct; even respectful acts can become improper when they violate the dharmic order established by the tīrtha’s extraordinary circumstance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse implies a powerful tīrtha context granting ‘svargagati’ (heavenward destiny), but the site name is not stated within this shloka alone.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prohibition regarding namaskāra (salutation) is given; no snāna/dāna/japa is specified here.