Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

नकारः पीतवर्णस्तु जलबीजः सनातनः । बीजं पृथ्वी मनश्छन्दो विषहा विनियोगतः

Transliteration

nakāraḥ pītavarṇastu jalabījaḥ sanātanaḥ | bījaṃ pṛthvī manaśchando viṣahā viniyogataḥ

Translation

‘ന’ അക്ഷരം പീതവർണ്ണമുള്ളത്, ജലതത്ത്വത്തിന്റെ സനാതന ബീജം. ഇതിന്റെ ബീജബന്ധം പൃഥിവിയോടും, ഛന്ദസ് ‘മനസ്’; വിധിപൂർവ്വ വിനിയോഗത്തിൽ ഇത് ‘വിഷഹാ’—വിഷവും ക്ലേശവും ഹരിക്കുന്നതു—ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• नकारः: the syllable/letter 'na'
• नकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पीतवर्णः: yellow-colored
• पीतवर्णः: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीत (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• जलबीजः: water-seed (seed associated with water)
• जलबीजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + बीज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

• सनातनः: eternal
• सनातनः: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• बीजम्: seed
• बीजम्: Karma/Predicate complement (Context-dependent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विधेय/कर्म (context)

• पृथ्वी: earth
• पृथ्वी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथ्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

• मनः: mind
• मनः: Compound member
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासाङ्ग (member of compound)

• छन्दः: meter
• छन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छन्दस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

• विषहा: Viṣahā (name/epithet)
• विषहा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषह (प्रातिपदिक; विष + √हन्/√हृ?; रूढि-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

• विनियोगतः: by/according to the application (ritual assignment)
• विनियोगतः: Hetu/Reason (Cause)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विनियोग (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (अव्ययीभाव-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

Speaker

Śiva (Deveśa) (deduced as respondent to Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sādhaka at a riverbank tīrtha performs ācamana and nyāsa, visualizing a yellow ‘na’ bīja as a luminous droplet of water-energy, dispelling a dark serpent-like poison cloud.

Characters & Entities

• Nakāra
• Jala (water principle)
• Pṛthvī (earth)
• Viṣahā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred syllables are taught as carriers of elemental power and protective efficacy when applied with correct viniyoga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named; the verse is a technical mantra-description within the ongoing Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra teaching context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It gives mantra-lakṣaṇa and viniyoga: using ‘nakāra’ with specified color/elemental associations for protective ‘viṣahā’ function.