Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

यावत्पश्यामि देहं स्वं कुष्ठव्याधिपरिच्युतम् । द्वादशार्कप्रभं दिव्यं यथा त्वं पश्यसे द्विज

Transliteration

yāvatpaśyāmi dehaṃ svaṃ kuṣṭhavyādhiparicyutam | dvādaśārkaprabhaṃ divyaṃ yathā tvaṃ paśyase dvija

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ഞാൻ എന്റെ ദേഹത്തെ കുഷ്ഠരോഗത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വിമുക്തമായതായി കണ്ടു—ദിവ്യമായി, പന്ത്രണ്ട് സൂര്യന്മാരെപ്പോലെ ദീപ്തമായി—ഹേ ദ്വിജ, നീ കാണുന്നതുപോലെ തന്നെ।

Word by Word

• यावत्: as long as; when
• यावत्: Kriya-vishesana (Temporal/कालवाचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (यावत् = 'as long as/when')

• पश्यामि: I see
• पश्यामि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• देहम्: body
• देहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन

• स्वम्: one’s own
• स्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; 'देहम्' विशेषणम्

• कुष्ठ-व्याधि-परिच्युतम्: freed from the disease of leprosy
• कुष्ठ-व्याधि-परिच्युतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक) + परिच्युत (परि + च्यु धातु, क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कुष्ठव्याधेः परिच्युतम् = 'freed from leprosy-disease'); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; 'देहम्' विशेषणम्

• द्वादश-अर्क-प्रभम्: having the radiance of twelve suns
• द्वादश-अर्क-प्रभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अर्क (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (द्वादशानाम् अर्काणाम् प्रभा इव/प्रभम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; 'देहम्' विशेषणम्

• दिव्यम्: divine
• दिव्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; 'देहम्' विशेषणम्

• यथा: as
• यथा: Kriya-vishesana (Comparative/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (comparative: 'as')

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा एकवचन

• पश्यसे: you see
• पश्यसे: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• द्विज: O brahmin
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन (vocative)

Speaker

Narrator (the formerly afflicted man/devotee)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhāskara-traya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa (dvija) addressed directly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The devotee stands astonished, skin now flawless and luminous; a halo-like radiance surrounds him, compared to twelve suns; a brāhmaṇa listener witnesses the transformed figure.

Characters & Entities

• dvija (Brāhmaṇa)
• kuṣṭha (leprosy)
• dvādaśārka (twelve suns)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When karmic impurity is removed through divine aid and dharma, the devotee’s life becomes luminous—purity is portrayed as radiance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The healing is presented as a fruit of a Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha context connected to solar worship; the precise place-name is not stated in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription here; it reports the result (phala) of the sacred encounter—complete relief from kuṣṭha.