Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

कृताश्च शपथास्तत्र स्नात्वा भागीरथीजले । अदुष्टचेतसा तेन दत्तं तत्पुस्तकं हृतम्

Transliteration

kṛtāśca śapathāstatra snātvā bhāgīrathījale | aduṣṭacetasā tena dattaṃ tatpustakaṃ hṛtam

Translation

അവിടെ ഭാഗീരഥീജലത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് ശപഥങ്ങൾ എടുത്തു; നിർദോഷചിത്തനെന്ന് കരുതപ്പെട്ട അവൻ തന്നെ മോഷ്ടിച്ച പുസ്തകം ശരിയായ ദാനമെന്നപോലെ കൈമാറി.

Word by Word

• कृताः: were made
• कृताः: Kriyā (Predicate—state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘made/done’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• शपथाः: oaths
• शपथाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शपथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriyā (पूर्वक्रिया/Absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव), ‘having bathed’

• भागीरथीजले: in the water of the Bhāgīrathī (Gaṅgā)
• भागीरथीजले: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भागीरथी (प्रातिपदिक) + जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—भागीरथ्याः जलम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• अदुष्टचेतसा: by one of untainted mind
• अदुष्टचेतसा: Karta/Hetu (Agent/Instrumental attendant)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक) + चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—अदुष्टं चेतः यस्य/अदुष्टं चेतः (कर्मधारय)

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karta (Agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Kriyā (Predicate—state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘given’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण-रूपेण

• पुस्तकम्: book
• पुस्तकम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुस्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• हृतम्: was taken away
• हृतम्: Kriyā (Predicate—result)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘taken away’

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhāgīrathī-snānā (Gaṅgā)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a riverbank, companions perform snāna; hands raised in oath. The accused appears serene and ‘unsuspected’, while the manuscript is produced and handed over as if legitimately given.

Characters & Entities

• Bhāgīrathī (Gaṅgā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred acts like Gaṅgā-snān do not sanctify deceit; false oaths and wrongful appropriation remain potent causes of karmic downfall.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bhāgīrathī-jala—i.e., the Gaṅgā river as a tīrtha—within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing (snāna) in the Bhāgīrathī and the taking of oaths (śapatha)—with the implied prescription that such oaths must be truthful.