Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तिलाः पवित्रमतुलं तिला धर्मार्थसाधकाः । तिला मोक्षप्रदाश्चैव तिलाः पापापहारिणः

Transliteration

tilāḥ pavitramatulaṃ tilā dharmārthasādhakāḥ | tilā mokṣapradāścaiva tilāḥ pāpāpahāriṇaḥ

Translation

എള്ള് അതുല്യമായ പവിത്രമാണ്. എള്ള് ധർമ്മവും അർത്ഥവും സാദ്ധ്യമാക്കുന്നു; എള്ള് മോക്ഷവും നൽകുന്നു, എള്ള് പാപങ്ങൾ അകറ്റുന്നു.

Word by Word

• तिलाः: sesame seeds
• तिलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• पवित्रम्: pure, purifier
• पवित्रम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पवित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (predicative)

• अतुलम्: incomparable
• अतुलम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• तिलाः: sesame seeds
• तिलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• धर्मार्थसाधकाः: accomplishers of dharma and artha
• धर्मार्थसाधकाः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + साधक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य अर्थस्य च साधकाः)

• तिलाः: sesame seeds
• तिलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• मोक्षप्रदाः: givers of liberation
• मोक्षप्रदाः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुषः (मोक्षं प्रददाति इति/मोक्षप्रदः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• तिलाः: sesame seeds
• तिलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• पापापहारिणः: removers of sins
• पापापहारिणः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + अपहारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पापस्य अपहारिणः)

Speaker

Unspecified (Tīrthamāhātmya narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; likely a Purāṇic narrator addressing a listener)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A simple ritual tableau: sesame seeds in a clean white cloth, offered into fire or placed before a deity; a pilgrim performs dāna to a brāhmaṇa near a tīrtha, emphasizing purity and liberation intent.

Characters & Entities

• Tila (sesame)
• Dharma
• Artha
• Mokṣa
• Pāpa (sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A single sacred substance, when used with right intention, can support the full spectrum of human aims—from ethical living to liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is substance-focused (tila-mahimā) rather than naming a particular geographical tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It implies using sesame in religious acts (dāna, tarpaṇa, homa, etc.) as a purifier and sin-remover.