Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

धुन्धुमारेश्वरं पश्येत्तत्र स्नात्वा नरोत्तमः । न स पश्यति दुर्गाणि नरकाणि यमालये

Transliteration

dhundhumāreśvaraṃ paśyettatra snātvā narottamaḥ | na sa paśyati durgāṇi narakāṇi yamālaye

Translation

അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് ഉത്തമൻ ധുന്ധുമാരേശ്വരനെ ദർശിക്കണം; അപ്പോൾ അവൻ യമാലയത്തിലെ ഭയങ്കര നരകങ്ങളെ കാണുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• धुन्धुमार-ईश्वरम्: Dhundhumāreśvara (Lord of Dhundhumāra)
• धुन्धुमार-ईश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धुन्धुमार (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (धुन्धुमारस्य ईश्वरः)

• पश्येत्: should see
• पश्येत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकारः (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (locative adverb)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्तं अव्ययकृदन्तम् (Gerund/Absolutive)

• नर-उत्तमः: the best of men
• नर-उत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः/कर्मधारय-प्रायः (नराणाम् उत्तमः)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्ययम् (negation particle)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्

• दुर्गाणि: difficult passages/fortresses (here: hardships)
• दुर्गाणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचनम्

• नरकाणि: hells
• नरकाणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचनम्

• यम-आलये: in Yama’s abode
• यम-आलये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक) + आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (यमस्य आलयः)

Speaker

Narrative context (continuation of Sūta’s narration)

Characters & Entities

• Dhundhumāreśvara
• Yama
• Yamālaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage discipline—bathing in the sacred waters and taking darśana of Śiva—purifies karma and is praised as protection from hellish consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dhundhumāreśvara and the associated bathing place (the nearby sacred vāpī) in the Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at the site, followed by darśana of Dhundhumāreśvara.