Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

शिरः पत्राग्रसंयुक्तं करोति यदि मानवः । न याम्या यातना ह्यस्य दुःखदात्री भविष्यति

Transliteration

śiraḥ patrāgrasaṃyuktaṃ karoti yadi mānavaḥ | na yāmyā yātanā hyasya duḥkhadātrī bhaviṣyati

Translation

മനുഷ്യൻ പത്രത്തിന്റെ അഗ്രഭാഗം ശിരസ്സിൽ ധരിച്ചാൽ, അവനു യമജന്യമായ യാതനകൾ ദുഃഖദായിനിയാകുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; neuter, nominative/accusative singular

• पत्राग्रसंयुक्तम्: connected with the leaf-tip
• पत्राग्रसंयुक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पत्र-अग्र-सम्+युज् (धातु) → संयुक्त (कृदन्त) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); neuter nom/acc singular; ‘joined/connected with the tip of a leaf’

• करोति: does/makes
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; present indicative, 3rd person singular

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• मानवः: a man/person
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; masculine nominative singular

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• याम्या: Yama-related
• याम्या: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: याम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; feminine nominative singular; ‘of Yama/pertaining to Yama’

• यातना: torment/punishment
• यातना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यातना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; feminine nominative singular

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• अस्य: of him/of this person
• अस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; genitive singular pronoun

• दुःखदात्री: sorrow-giving
• दुःखदात्री: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःख-दातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; feminine nominative singular; ‘giver of sorrow’

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; simple future, 3rd person singular

Speaker

Pārvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee gently places a small bilva leaf-tip upon the crown; behind, a shadowy Yama imagery recedes, replaced by calm light from the shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Yama (implied by yāmyā)
• bilva leaf-tip
• human (mānava)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional marks and vow-symbols, when done with reverence, are portrayed as safeguards that lessen fear of post-death suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The bilva sanctity emphasized in Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya, where bilva-related acts are credited with protective fruits.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Place/keep a leaf-tip as a sacred token upon the head (a devotional observance) to gain protection from yāmyā yātanā.