Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

स्थंडिलं हस्तमात्रं च स्थंडिले प्रत्यकल्पयत् । अग्निमीऌएतिमंत्रेण ततोऽग्निं स निधाय च

Transliteration

sthaṃḍilaṃ hastamātraṃ ca sthaṃḍile pratyakalpayat | agnimīḷetimaṃtreṇa tato'gniṃ sa nidhāya ca

Translation

Dia membentuk sthaṇḍila sebesar satu jengkal tangan, dan di atas sthaṇḍila itu dia menyusun tata upacara. Kemudian, dengan mantra yang bermula “Agnim īḷe…”, dia menegakkan api suci.

Word by Word

• स्थण्डिलम्: altar-ground; a prepared earthen spot
• स्थण्डिलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थण्डिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• हस्तमात्रम्: of hand-measure size
• हस्तमात्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हस्त (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक-विशेषण (measure)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• स्थण्डिले: on the altar-ground
• स्थण्डिले: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थण्डिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• प्रत्यकल्पयत्: he arranged/prepared (there)
• प्रत्यकल्पयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + √कॢप् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अग्निमीळेति: “agnim īḷe” (the mantra phrase)
• अग्निमीळेति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्निम् (अग्नि-प्रातिपदिक) + ईळे (√ईळ्/√ईड् धातु, वैदिक-प्रयोग) + इति (अव्यय)
• Form: मन्त्र-उद्धरणरूप अव्यय-समूह; इति-प्रयोग (quotative)

• मन्त्रेण: by/with the mantra
• मन्त्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereafter)

• अग्निम्: fire
• अग्निम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• निधाय: having placed
• निधाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + √धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया (having placed)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone ritualist measures a small square sthaṇḍila with his hand, smooths the earth, and kindles a bright sacrificial fire while reciting the opening Ṛgvedic Agni hymn.

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Ṛgveda (Agnim īḷe)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred order (vidhi) sanctifies action: even the fire is approached through measured preparation and Vedic invocation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s tīrtha-māhātmya chapter, but it is a procedural instruction not naming the site here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Construct a hand-measure sthaṇḍila and install Agni using the Ṛgvedic “Agnim īḷe…” mantra.