Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

अपि पापसमाचारा इहागच्छंति तेऽखिलाः । यमस्य नरकाः सर्वे सांप्रतं शून्यतां गताः

Transliteration

api pāpasamācārā ihāgacchaṃti te'khilāḥ | yamasya narakāḥ sarve sāṃprataṃ śūnyatāṃ gatāḥ

Translation

പാപാചാരികളായവരും എല്ലാവരും ഇവിടെ എത്തുന്നു; അതിനാൽ ഇപ്പോൾ യമന്റെ എല്ലാ നരകങ്ങളും ശൂന്യമായിരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/also/even)

• pāpa-samācārāḥ: those of sinful conduct
• pāpa-samācārāḥ: Karta (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa + samācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; समासः—पापः समाचारा येषाम् (पापसमाचार) (अर्थतः बहुव्रीहिवत् प्रयोगः, रूपतः तत्पुरुष-समासपद)

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• āgacchanti: come
• āgacchanti: Kriya (action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√gam (गम्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• te: they
• te: Karta (subject)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• akhilāḥ: all, entire
• akhilāḥ: Visheshana (of te)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• yamasya: of Yama
• yamasya: Sambandha (genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• narakāḥ: hells
• narakāḥ: Karta (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• sarve: all
• sarve: Visheshana (of narakāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• sāṃpratam: now, at present
• sāṃpratam: Kala (time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāṃpratam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• śūnyatām: emptiness
• śūnyatām: Gati/Karma (goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūnyatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• gatāḥ: have gone/turned into
• gatāḥ: Kriya (predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √gam (गम्) + kta (क्त) → gata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

Speaker

Devas addressing Indra (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Streams of pilgrims—some visibly penitent—approach the shrine; in the cosmic background, Yama’s realm appears deserted, its gates ajar and attendants idle.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Narakas (hells)
• Pilgrims (sinful conduct)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A supremely holy kṣetra offers radical purification; sincere approach can interrupt the trajectory toward punishment and suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra complex (including Gautameśvara/Ahilyeśvara references) celebrated for pāpa-destruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage/coming to the site (āgamana) is emphasized; worship is implied in the surrounding verses.