Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

सर्वथा तिलवृक्षोऽयं दर्शनादेव पापहा । चातुर्मास्ये विशेषेण सेवितः सर्वसौख्यदः

Transliteration

sarvathā tilavṛkṣo'yaṃ darśanādeva pāpahā | cāturmāsye viśeṣeṇa sevitaḥ sarvasaukhyadaḥ

Translation

ഈ എള്ളുചെടി എല്ലായ്പ്പോഴും ദർശനമാത്രത്താൽ തന്നെ പാപഹരമാണ്. ചാതുർമാസ്യത്തിൽ പ്രത്യേകമായി സേവിച്ചു ഉപയോഗിച്ചാൽ ഇത് സർവ്വസുഖം നൽകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सर्वथा: in every way
• सर्वथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — क्रियाविशेषण (adverb): ‘in every way/always’

• तिलवृक्षः: the sesame plant/tree
• तिलवृक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक) + वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘तिलानां वृक्षः’ (sesame-plant/tree)

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — demonstrative pronoun

• दर्शनात्: from seeing
• दर्शनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + ल्युट् → दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन — ‘from/by (mere) seeing’

• एव: only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — अवधारण (emphasis): ‘just/only’

• पापहा: destroyer of sin
• पापहा: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + हन् (धातु) → ह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — उपपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘पापं हन्ति’ (sin-destroying)

• चातुर्मास्ये: in Cāturmāsya
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — ‘in the Cāturmāsya period’

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — ‘especially’ (instrumental of manner)

• सेवितः: when used/served
• सेवितः: Visheshana (Qualifier of ‘तिलवृक्षः’/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सेव् (धातु) + क्त (past passive participle) → सेवित
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP): ‘having been used/served’

• सर्वसौख्यदः: giver of all happiness
• सर्वसौख्यदः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + सौख्य (प्रातिपदिक) + द (प्रातिपदिक, from दा/ददाति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘सर्वस्य सौख्यस्य दः’ (giver of all happiness)

Speaker

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

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sesame field near a village-tīrtha in monsoon season; pilgrims pause to behold the plants with folded hands; light seems to emanate from the greenery.

Characters & Entities

• Tila-vṛkṣa (sesame plant)
• Cāturmāsya
• Pāpa (sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time (Cāturmāsya) amplifies the sanctity of sacred nature (tila plant), turning simple contact into a vehicle for purification and well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse does not specify a named location; it frames the sesame plant itself as a purifying sacred presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During Cāturmāsya, actively ‘serve’ (tend/use) the sesame plant and engage with it reverently for purification and happiness.