Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

तद्दृष्ट्वा स महीपालः पद्ममत्यद्भुतं महत् । जग्राह कौतुकाविष्टः स्वयं सव्येन पाणिना

Transliteration

taddṛṣṭvā sa mahīpālaḥ padmamatyadbhutaṃ mahat | jagrāha kautukāviṣṭaḥ svayaṃ savyena pāṇinā

Translation

ആ മഹത്തായ അത്യദ്ഭുത താമര കണ്ടപ്പോൾ, കൗതുകത്തിൽ മുങ്ങിയ രാജാവ് അതിനെ താനേ ഇടങ്കൈകൊണ്ട് എടുത്തു।

Word by Word

• tat: that (lotus)
• tat: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Neuter Accusative Singular (object of dṛṣṭvā)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त) = gerund; अर्थ: having seen

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Masculine Nominative Singular

• mahī-pālaḥ: the king
• mahī-pālaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + pāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी) = protector of the earth; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• padmam: lotus
• padmam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = Neuter Accusative Singular

• ati-adbhutam: most marvelous
• ati-adbhutam: Karman (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + adbhuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास/उपपद-समास = exceedingly wonderful; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (qualifying padmam)

• mahat: great
• mahat: Karman (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = Neuter Accusative Singular (qualifying padmam)

• jagrāha: took/held
• jagrāha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद) = Perfect; प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन = 3rd person singular; अर्थ: seized/took

• kautuka-āviṣṭaḥ: filled with curiosity
• kautuka-āviṣṭaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kautuka (प्रातिपदिक) + āviṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास = possessed/overcome by curiosity; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (qualifying saḥ/mahīpālaḥ)

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Karta (Emphatic/कर्तृ-निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable; अर्थ: स्वयं = himself

• savyena: with the left
• savyena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: savya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन = Instrumental Singular; विशेषण (qualifying pāṇinā)

• pāṇinā: hand
• pāṇinā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन = Masculine Instrumental Singular

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king, waist-deep in water, reaches out and lifts the enormous radiant lotus with his left hand, his face a mix of awe and curiosity; attendants watch in alarm from the bank.

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhadbala (implied)
• Lotus (padma)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred manifestations invite reverence and discernment; impulsive grasping can lead to unforeseen consequences in a holy setting.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The holy water-body of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya, shown to be powerful enough to produce miraculous signs.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse implies the importance of proper conduct around sacred objects and tīrtha-wonders.