Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

शतानन्द उवाच । यद्येवं साधयिष्यामि तत्कृतेऽहं हुताशनम् । विषं वा भक्षयिष्यामि पतिष्यामि जलाशये

Transliteration

śatānanda uvāca | yadyevaṃ sādhayiṣyāmi tatkṛte'haṃ hutāśanam | viṣaṃ vā bhakṣayiṣyāmi patiṣyāmi jalāśaye

Translation

ശതാനന്ദൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇങ്ങനെ ആണെങ്കിൽ, ആ കാര്യസിദ്ധിക്കായി ഞാൻ അഗ്നിപരീക്ഷ സ്വീകരിക്കും; അല്ലെങ്കിൽ വിഷം ഭക്ഷിക്കും; അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ജലാശയത്തിൽ ചാടും—എങ്ങനെയായാലും അത് സാധിപ്പിക്കും।

Word by Word

• śatānandaḥ: Śatānanda
• śatānandaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śatānanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Logical connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तसूचक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• evaṃ: thus
• evaṃ: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evaṃ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb of manner)

• sādhayiṣyāmi: I will accomplish
• sādhayiṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sādh (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative sense possible: 'will accomplish/bring about')

• tat-kṛte: for that (purpose)
• tat-kṛte: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th) एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास: तस्य कृते = 'for that purpose'

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• hutāśanam: fire (Agni)
• hutāśanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: huta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + aśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: हुतं अशनं यस्य/यत् = 'fire'

• viṣam: poison
• viṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Logical connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle)

• bhakṣayiṣyāmi: I will eat
• bhakṣayiṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• patiṣyāmi: I will fall
• patiṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pat (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• jalāśaye: in a lake/pond
• jalāśaye: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक) + āśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: जलस्य आशयः = 'water-reservoir'

Speaker

Śatānanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (implied) Gautama / elders present in the tīrtha narrative

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A distraught youth (Śatānanda) vows extreme acts—fire-ordeal, poison, or leaping into a lake—his face tense with grief and resolve, with ascetics and a sacred waterbody implied in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Śatānanda
• Agni (hutāśana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It portrays intense determination and filial responsibility, showing how devotion-driven resolve seeks restoration of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A generic “jalāśaya” (water-body) is mentioned, but no named tīrtha appears in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An ordeal/act involving fire (hutāśana) and self-sacrificial extremes are mentioned as intended means, not as a formalized rite.