Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

पूजयिष्यंति ये केचिदपि पापपरायणाः । मया सार्धं करिष्यंति ततः स्पर्द्धां नगोत्तम

Transliteration

pūjayiṣyaṃti ye kecidapi pāpaparāyaṇāḥ | mayā sārdhaṃ kariṣyaṃti tataḥ sparddhāṃ nagottama

Translation

ഹേ നഗോത്തമാ! പാപപരായണരായവർ പോലും അവിടെ പൂജ ചെയ്യും; തുടർന്ന് പുണ്യത്തിൽ എന്നോടൊപ്പം മത്സരിക്കുവാൻ തുടങ്ങും.

Word by Word

• pūjayiṣyanti: will worship
• pūjayiṣyanti: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject of relative clause/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (relative pronoun)

• kecit: some
• kecit: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim + cit (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• api: even, also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• pāpa-parāyaṇāḥ: devoted to sin
• pāpa-parāyaṇāḥ: Karta (Qualifier of subject/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (पापे परायणाः) विशेषणम् (ye/kecit)

• mayā: with me
• mayā: Sahakāraka (Companion/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन

• sārdham: together with
• sārdham: Sahakāraka (Association/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sārdham (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अर्थक-अव्यय (adverb/preposition: together with)

• kariṣyanti: will do/make
• kariṣyanti: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Kāla/Hetu (Then/thereupon/काल-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/अनन्तर्ये अव्यय (then/thereupon)

• spardhām: rivalry, competition
• spardhām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: spardhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• nagottama: O best of mountains
• nagottama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naga + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्ग; तत्पुरुषः (नगानाम् उत्तमः)

Speaker

Indra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Nāga-bila

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Himācala (Nāgottama addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra proclaims to the mountain that even hardened sinners will come to worship Hāṭakeśvara at the Nāga-bila, gaining such merit that they rival Indra himself—crowds of diverse pilgrims approaching a cave-shrine with offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Hāṭakeśvara (implied)
• Nagottama (Himācala/Himalaya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A powerful tīrtha and sincere worship can uplift even the fallen; sacred sites are portrayed as engines of moral and spiritual transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra/Nāga-bila, whose worship-bestowing power is so great it rivals even Indra’s merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā (worship) is mentioned generally; no detailed procedure is specified in the verse.