Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

। सूत उवाच । तस्यैवोत्तरदिग्भागे देवस्य जलशायिनः । स्थानमस्ति सुविख्यातं सर्वपातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

| sūta uvāca | tasyaivottaradigbhāge devasya jalaśāyinaḥ | sthānamasti suvikhyātaṃ sarvapātakanāśanam

Translation

Sūta disse: Na porção setentrional dessa mesma região há um lugar sagrado, muito afamado, do Senhor que repousa sobre as águas (Jalaśāyī), celebrado como destruidor de todos os pecados.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तस्य: of that (deity)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (of him/of that)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis/only)

• उत्तरदिग्भागे: in the northern quarter/region
• उत्तरदिग्भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर+दिक्+भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः (uttarāyāṃ diśi bhāgaḥ)

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

• जलशायिनः: of the one who lies in water
• जलशायिनः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल+शायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; समासः (jale śayī)

• स्थानम्: a place
• स्थानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुविख्यातम्: well-known
• सुविख्यातम्: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु+वि+ख्यात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √ख्यै)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘स्थानम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: destroyer of all sins
• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व+पातक+नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः (sarvāṇi pātakāni nāśayati) बहुधा कर्मधारय-तत्पुरुषभावः; ‘स्थानम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jalaśāyī-kṣetra (as described)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (standard frame, implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred northern-quarter shrine by a broad waterbody: Viṣṇu as Jalaśāyī reclining on Śeṣa over waters, with devotees approaching; a sense of famed sanctity and purification.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Jalaśāyī (Hari/Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Association with a Viṣṇu-tīrtha and devotion to the Lord is praised as a powerful means for purification from sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A renowned site of Jalaśāyī Hari located in the northern part of the described region (the text here names the deity-form but not a modern toponym).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is detailed in this verse; it introduces the tīrtha as supremely purifying.