Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

मात्रा मोहनमासाद्य भगिन्या वाथ यादव । दुहित्रा वा प्रमादाच्च कार्यं संशोधनं बुधैः । शुद्ध्यर्थं तिंगिनीमेकां नान्यज्जानाम्यहं यतः

Transliteration

mātrā mohanamāsādya bhaginyā vātha yādava | duhitrā vā pramādācca kāryaṃ saṃśodhanaṃ budhaiḥ | śuddhyarthaṃ tiṃginīmekāṃ nānyajjānāmyahaṃ yataḥ

Translation

ഹേ യാദവാ, അമ്മ, സഹോദരി, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ മകൾ എന്നിവരോട് അശ്രദ്ധമൂലം മോഹം തോന്നിയാൽ, പണ്ഡിതന്മാർ ശുദ്ധീകരണം നിർദ്ദേശിക്കുന്നു. ഇതിനായി 'തിംഗിനി' എന്ന മാർഗ്ഗമല്ലാതെ മറ്റൊന്നും എനിക്കറിയില്ല.

Word by Word

• मात्रा: by/with the mother
• मात्रा: Karana (Instrument/agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम्

• मोहनम्: delusion/infatuation
• मोहनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्

• आसाद्य: having incurred/attained
• आसाद्य: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial to main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + सद् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्यय-कृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया (having reached/obtained)

• भगिन्या: by/with (one's) sister
• भगिन्या: Karana (Instrument/agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम्

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• अथ: then/and also
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तर/प्रस्ताव-अव्यय (then/now)

• यादव: O Yādava
• यादव: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यादव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः (Vocative), एकवचनम्

• दुहित्रा: by/with (one's) daughter
• दुहित्रा: Karana (Instrument/agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुहितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम्

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• प्रमादात्: from negligence
• प्रमादात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (Ablative/5th), एकवचनम्

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

• कार्यम्: to be done/required
• कार्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (कृ (धातु) + यत्; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative: 'to be done')

• संशोधनम्: purificatory correction/cleansing
• संशोधनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम् + शुध् (धातु) + ल्युट् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्

• बुधैः: by the wise (people)
• बुधैः: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम्

• शुद्ध्यर्थम्: for the sake of purification
• शुद्ध्यर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययवत् (for the purpose of...)

• तिंगिनीम्: Tiṃginī (name of a tīrtha/river)
• तिंगिनीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिंगिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्

• एकाम्: one/only
• एकाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• अन्यत्: anything else
• अन्यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्

• जानामि: I know
• जानामि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), उत्तमपुरुषः (1st person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• यतः: because
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: हेत्वर्थे अव्यय (indeclinable used as causal: 'because/for')

Speaker

Brāhmaṇa (dharmaśāstra-knower)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tiṃginī

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka et al. (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The brāhmaṇa, now emphatic, names ‘Tiṃginī’ as the sole purifier; the scene can foreshadow the tīrtha: a luminous waterbody/ford with sacred trees and a small shrine, suggesting imminent pilgrimage.

Characters & Entities

• Sāṃba
• Yādava
• Tiṃginī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even grave moral delusion is met in Purāṇic dharma with a path of reform—anchored in repentance and tīrtha-based purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Tiṃginī is explicitly presented as the singular known means for śuddhi (purification) in this context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A required saṃśodhana (expiatory correction) is prescribed, specifically directing purification through Tiṃginī (implying tīrtha-sevā such as snāna).