Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

निधाय कलशं मध्ये मंडलस्योदकावृतम् । होमांते तत्र संस्पर्शं चक्रुस्तस्य जलैः शुभैः

Transliteration

nidhāya kalaśaṃ madhye maṃḍalasyodakāvṛtam | homāṃte tatra saṃsparśaṃ cakrustasya jalaiḥ śubhaiḥ

Translation

മണ്ഡലത്തിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിൽ ജലാവൃതമായ കലശം സ്ഥാപിച്ച്, ഹോമാന്തത്തിൽ അവിടെത്തന്നെ അതിന്റെ ശുഭജലത്തോടെ സ്പർശ/പ്രോക്ഷണവിധി ചെയ്തു.

Word by Word

• निधाय: having placed
• निधाय: पूर्वक्रिया (Absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having placed’

• कलशम्: a pot
• कलशम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक

• मण्डलस्य: of the maṇḍala/circle
• मण्डलस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• उदकावृतम्: covered/surrounded with water
• उदकावृतम्: कर्म (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उदक (प्रातिपदिक) + आवृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; आ-√वृ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying कलशम्); समासः—तत्पुरुषः ‘उदकेन आवृतम्’

• होम-अन्ते: at the end of the oblation
• होम-अन्ते: अधिकरण (Time/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: होम (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः ‘होमस्य अन्ते’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: अधिकरण (Adverbial location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• संस्पर्शम्: touch/contact
• संस्पर्शम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संस्पर्श (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• चक्रुः: they performed/made
• चक्रुः: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तस्य: of it/of that
• तस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• जलैः: with waters
• जलैः: करण (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• शुभैः: auspicious/pure
• शुभैः: करण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying जलैः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A maṇḍala drawn on the ground with colored powders; at its center a covered kalaśa surrounded by water vessels; the homa fire subsides as priests perform concluding aspersion/touch with the auspicious water.

Characters & Entities

• Kalaśa
• Maṇḍala
• Homa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity and auspiciousness are ritually sealed by proper completion—placing the kalaśa correctly and concluding the homa with sanctified water-contact.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is a procedural verse within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; the exact tīrtha name is not specified in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Keep a kalaśa in the center of the maṇḍala and, after the homa, perform saṃsparśa/aspersion using the pot’s auspicious water.