Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

अनावृष्टिहते लोके पंचेंद्रं तत्र यो जपेत् । तस्य हस्तकृते होमे तन्मंत्रैः स्याज्जलागमः

Transliteration

anāvṛṣṭihate loke paṃceṃdraṃ tatra yo japet | tasya hastakṛte home tanmaṃtraiḥ syājjalāgamaḥ

Translation

ലോകം അനാവൃഷ്ടിയാൽ പീഡിതമായിരിക്കുമ്പോൾ അവിടെ ‘പഞ്ചേന്ദ്രം’ ജപിക്കുന്നവന്‍, തന്റെ കൈകളാൽ ചെയ്ത ഹോമത്തിൽ ആ മന്ത്രബലത്താൽ ജലാഗമനം—മഴയുടെ വരവ്—ഉണ്ടാകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• अनावृष्टि-हते: in a world afflicted by drought
• अनावृष्टि-हते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनावृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + हत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √हन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः: अनावृष्ट्या हतः (instrumental sense) → अनावृष्टिहत; अधिकरणे सप्तमी

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पञ्चेन्द्रम्: the ‘Pañcendra’ (five-Indras mantra/name)
• पञ्चेन्द्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः: पञ्चानाम् इन्द्राणाम् समाहारः/नाम (a set/name)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हस्त-कृते: in (the) hand-performed
• हस्त-कृते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हस्त (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √कृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः: हस्तेन कृतः (instrumental)

• होमे: in the fire-offering
• होमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: होम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्-मन्त्रैः: with those mantras
• तत्-मन्त्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः: तस्य मन्त्राः → तन्मन्त्राः

• स्यात्: would be / may occur
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• जल-आगमः: arrival of water (rain)
• जल-आगमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + आगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः: जलस्य आगमः

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha-māhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A drought-stricken landscape; at the tīrtha, a devotee performs homa with raised hands, flames bright; clouds gather and first drops fall as villagers watch in reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcendra
• Homa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Puranic dharma presents yajña and mantra as harmonizing acts that restore cosmic and environmental balance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha in the Tīrthamāhātmya; the rain-bringing rite is said to work when done ‘tatra’.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa of the Pañcendra followed by a homa using those mantras to invite rainfall.