Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

पूर्णश्रोत्रं जले नैव व्याकुलांगं व्यवस्थितम् । निहन्मि येन शीघ्रं च नान्यच्छिद्रं प्रलक्षये

Transliteration

pūrṇaśrotraṃ jale naiva vyākulāṃgaṃ vyavasthitam | nihanmi yena śīghraṃ ca nānyacchidraṃ pralakṣaye

Translation

"Dia berdiri di dalam air dengan telinganya dipenuhi air, anggotanya tidak stabil dan resah. 'Dengan cara apakah aku boleh menjatuhkannya dengan pantas? Aku tidak melihat peluang lain.'"

Word by Word

• पूर्णश्रोत्रम्: with ears filled/blocked
• पूर्णश्रोत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrṇa + śrotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—पूर्ण + श्रोत्र (विशेषण-विशेष्य)

• जले: in water
• जले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• व्याकुलाङ्गम्: with agitated limbs
• व्याकुलाङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyākula + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—व्याकुल + अङ्ग (विशेषण-विशेष्य)

• व्यवस्थितम्: placed/positioned, standing
• व्यवस्थितम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + अव + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘(तं/तत्)’ इति कर्मपदस्य विशेषण

• निहन्मि: I strike/kill
• निहन्मि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + हन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• येन: by which/with which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; हेतु/करणवाचक

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• शीघ्रम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śīghra (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• अन्यत्: other, another
• अन्यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘छिद्रम्’ इति विशेषण

• छिद्रम्: hole, opening
• छिद्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: chidra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रलक्षये: I notice/observe
• प्रलक्षये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + लक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual voice describing Viśvāmitra’s intent)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vasiṣṭha stands immersed with water filling his ears; his posture is steady yet momentarily unguarded. Viśvāmitra watches, searching for a ‘chidra’ (opening) to strike.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Nadī (the river)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked agitation and fixation on harming others blinds discernment; dharma calls for restraint even amid conflict.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within Tīrthamāhātmya framing (sacred-place narration), but this single line does not name a specific tīrtha explicitly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is narrative description of intent and circumstance.