Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

पूज्यते नागकन्याभिर्न तत्पश्यंति मानवाः । महा तेजोमणिमयं चंद्रबिंबसमप्रभम् । स्मरणात्तस्य देवस्य ब्रह्महत्या प्रणश्यति

Transliteration

pūjyate nāgakanyābhirna tatpaśyaṃti mānavāḥ | mahā tejomaṇimayaṃ caṃdrabiṃbasamaprabham | smaraṇāttasya devasya brahmahatyā praṇaśyati

Translation

ତାହାକୁ ନାଗକନ୍ୟାମାନେ ପୂଜନ୍ତି; କିନ୍ତୁ ମନୁଷ୍ୟମାନେ ତାହା ଦେଖିପାରନ୍ତି ନାହିଁ। ସେ ମହାତେଜୋମଣିମୟ, ଚନ୍ଦ୍ରବିମ୍ବ ସମ ପ୍ରଭାରେ ଦୀପ୍ତ। ସେଇ ଦେବଙ୍କ ସ୍ମରଣମାତ୍ରରେ ବ୍ରହ୍ମହତ୍ୟା ପାପ ନଶ୍ଟ ହୁଏ।

Word by Word

• पूज्यते: is worshipped
• पूज्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• नागकन्याभिः: by the nāga maidens
• नागकन्याभिः: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग + कन्या (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; कर्तृ-करणभावे—‘by the nāga-maidens’

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

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘that (liṅga)’

• पश्यन्ति: see
• पश्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• मानवाः: humans
• मानवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• महा: great
• महा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत्-पूर्वपद (indeclinable-like first member) / उपसर्गवत्; ‘great’—समासे पूर्वपदम्

• तेजोमणिमयम्: made of radiant jewels
• तेजोमणिमयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तेजस् + मणि + मय (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘तत्/लिङ्गम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण; अर्थः—तेजः-मणिभिः मयम्

• चन्द्रबिम्बसमप्रभम्: having a radiance equal to the moon’s disc
• चन्द्रबिम्बसमप्रभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चन्द्र + बिम्ब + सम + प्रभ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘तत्/लिङ्गम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण; अर्थः—चन्द्रबिम्बेन समा प्रभा यस्य

• स्मरणात्: from (the act of) remembering
• स्मरणात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेतौ—‘from/through remembrance’

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

• देवस्य: of the god
• देवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• ब्रह्महत्या: the sin of brahmin-slaying
• ब्रह्महत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + हत्या (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्रणश्यति: perishes/is destroyed
• प्रणश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jāleśvara

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant liṅga made of blazing jewel-light, cool as moon-disc, half-veiled from human eyes; Nāga maidens with jeweled hoods offer flowers and water at the riverbank shrine while a human pilgrim prays from afar, relying on remembrance.

Characters & Entities

• Nāga-kanyā (Nāga maidens)
• Jāleśvara (implied)
• Brahmahatyā (sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembrance of a sacred deity at a powerful kṣetra is portrayed as spiritually transformative, capable of destroying even grave sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jāleśvara at the Devikā riverbank, a liṅga of extraordinary, hidden sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Smarana (devotional remembrance) of the deity is highlighted as a potent practice; worship by Nāga maidens is noted as part of the site’s mystique.