Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

यतः पापसहस्राणि विष्णुर्दहति संस्मृतः । तस्मात्पादोदकं शीर्षे चातुर्मास्ये धृतं शिवम्

Transliteration

yataḥ pāpasahasrāṇi viṣṇurdahati saṃsmṛtaḥ | tasmātpādodakaṃ śīrṣe cāturmāsye dhṛtaṃ śivam

Translation

വിഷ്ണുവിനെ സ്മരിക്കുമ്പോൾ അദ്ദേഹം ആയിരക്കണക്കിന് പാപങ്ങളെ ദഹിപ്പിക്കുന്നു; അതിനാൽ ചാതുർമാസ്യത്തിൽ അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ പാദോദകം ശിരസ്സിൽ ധരിക്കുന്നത് ശുഭവും ഹിതകരവും ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• यतः: since/because
• यतः: Sambandha (Cause marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक (causal/relative adverb: since/wherefrom)

• पापसहस्राणि: thousands of sins
• पापसहस्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप-सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पापानां सहस्राणि)

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दहति: burns up/destroys
• दहति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• संस्मृतः: when remembered
• संस्मृतः: Hetu (Condition/Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘स्मृतः’ (when remembered)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Sambandha (Inference/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; पञ्चमी-एकवचनार्थे (ablatival: therefore/from that reason)

• पादोदकम्: water from the feet (foot-water)
• पादोदकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद-उदक (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पादस्य उदकम्)

• शीर्षे: on the head
• शीर्षे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शीर्षन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चातुर्मास्ये: in Cāturmāsya
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• धृतम्: held/placed
• धृतम्: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र ‘पादोदकम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• शिवम्: auspicious, beneficial
• शिवम्: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (auspicious/beneficial)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viṣṇu-pāda-udaka (caraṇāmṛta; Gaṅgā-bhāva)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in a temple courtyard receives Viṣṇu’s caraṇāmṛta; with folded hands, he touches the sacred water to his head during Cāturmāsya, while priests chant Viṣṇu-nāmas; monsoon lamps flicker.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Pādodaka
• Cāturmāsya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembrance of Viṣṇu and reverence to His pādodaka are portrayed as powerful means of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not a geography-specific tīrtha; the ‘tīrtha’ is Viṣṇu’s pādodaka itself, treated as supremely sanctifying.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During Cāturmāsya, place/receive Viṣṇu’s pādodaka upon the head as an auspicious act.