Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

शुचौ देशे समे पुण्ये पूर्वोत्तरप्लवे शुभे । मंडपं कारयेद्विद्वान्रम्यं ष़ोशहस्तकम् । तन्मध्ये कारयेद्वेदिं चतुर्हस्त प्रमाणतः । यजमानस्य हस्तेन हस्तैकेन समुच्छ्रिताम्

Transliteration

śucau deśe same puṇye pūrvottaraplave śubhe | maṃḍapaṃ kārayedvidvānramyaṃ ṣa़ोśahastakam | tanmadhye kārayedvediṃ caturhasta pramāṇataḥ | yajamānasya hastena hastaikena samucchritām

Translation

ଶୁଚି, ସମ ଓ ପୁଣ୍ୟ ଦେଶରେ—ପୂର୍ବ କିମ୍ବା ଉତ୍ତର ଦିଗକୁ ଢାଳ ଥିବା ଶୁଭ ଭୂମିରେ—ବିଦ୍ୱାନ ଷୋଳ ହସ୍ତ ପରିମାଣର ରମ୍ୟ ମଣ୍ଡପ ନିର୍ମାଣ କରାଉ। ତାହାର ମଧ୍ୟରେ ଚାରି ହସ୍ତ ପ୍ରମାଣର ବେଦୀ କରାଉ, ଯାହା ଯଜମାନଙ୍କ ହସ୍ତମାପରେ ଏକ ହସ୍ତ ଉଚ୍ଚ ହେଉ।

Word by Word

• शुचौ: in a clean (place)
• शुचौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• देशे: in a place
• देशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• समे: level, even
• समे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुण्ये: holy, auspicious
• पुण्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पूर्वोत्तरप्लवे: at a ford/ghāṭa on the east-north side
• पूर्वोत्तरप्लवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + प्लव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• शुभे: auspicious
• शुभे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• मण्डपम्: a pavilion
• मण्डपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कारयेत्: should have (it) made
• कारयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) (णिच् causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद, णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: ‘should cause to be made’)

• विद्वान्: a learned man
• विद्वान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्वस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• रम्यम्: beautiful
• रम्यम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• षोडशहस्तकम्: sixteen-hands (in measure)
• षोडशहस्तकम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + हस्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular) — परिमाणवाचक (measure-denoting)

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular) — used in compound

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

• कारयेत्: should have made
• कारयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) (णिच् causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद, णिच् (causative)

• वेदिम्: an altar
• वेदिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• चतुर्हस्त: four-hands (in measure)
• चतुर्हस्त: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular) — परिमाणवाचक (measure-denoting)

• प्रमाणतः: according to the measure
• प्रमाणतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘according to measure’)

• यजमानस्य: of the sacrificer (patron)
• यजमानस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यजमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• हस्तेन: by (his) hand (as a unit)
• हस्तेन: Karana (Instrument/measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• हस्तैकेन: by one hand (in height)
• हस्तैकेन: Karana (Instrument/measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हस्त (प्रातिपदिक) + एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• समुच्छ्रिताम्: raised/elevated
• समुच्छ्रिताम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + उत् + श्रि (धातु) → समुच्छ्रित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle/क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular) — agreeing with ‘वेदिम्’

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A freshly built sixteen-cubit pavilion on a clean, level sacred ground sloping east/north; in the center a four-cubit altar-platform raised one cubit; priests measuring with rods and the yajamāna’s hand-span standard.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is enacted through order and purity: sacred giving is supported by a carefully prepared, auspicious ritual space.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instructions are given for performance at a tīrtha; the chapter’s larger narrative supplies the particular tīrtha being praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Construct a 16-hasta maṇḍapa on pure, level ground with east/north slope, and build a central 4-hasta vedi raised by one hasta.