Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच । गंगायामस्थिपातोऽत्र येषां संजायते नृणाम् । न तेषां नारको वह्निः प्रभवेन्मध्यवर्तिनाम्

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | gaṃgāyāmasthipāto'tra yeṣāṃ saṃjāyate nṛṇām | na teṣāṃ nārako vahniḥ prabhavenmadhyavartinām

Translation

ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇവിടെ ഗംഗയിൽ ആരുടെ അസ്ഥിവിസർജനം നടക്കുമോ, അവരിൽ നരകാഗ്നിക്ക് അധികാരം ഉണ്ടാകില്ല—അവർ മദ്ധ്യസ്ഥ ദുഃഖഭാഗ്യർ ആയാലും.

Word by Word

• भीष्मः: Bhīṣma
• भीष्मः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• गंगायाम्: in the Gaṅgā
• गंगायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• अस्थिपातः: casting of bones
• अस्थिपातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थि + पात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—अस्थीनां पातः (तत्पुरुष)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक)

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, बहुवचन (relative pronoun)

• संजायते: arises; happens
• संजायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध particle)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• नारकः: hellish
• नारकः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; वह्निः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• वह्निः: fire
• वह्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• प्रभवेत्: would prevail; could affect
• प्रभवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• मध्यवर्तिनाम्: of those who are in the middle (therein)
• मध्यवर्तिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य + वर्तिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; समासः—मध्ये वर्तिनः (तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Bhīṣma

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhīṣma declares the protective power of consigning bones into the Gaṅgā: the infernal fire cannot touch such persons.

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gaṅgā-related funerary rites are praised as powerful purifiers that avert hellish consequences and uplift the departed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā tīrtha—Gaṅgā as a sacred river and pilgrimage locus within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s tīrtha-glorification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Asthi-visarjana/asthi-pāta—consigning the departed’s bones/ashes into the Gaṅgā.