Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तानब्रवीत्प्रणम्योच्चैः पिप्पलादो महामुनिः । मम माता मृता पूर्वं कंसारीति च नामतः

Transliteration

tānabravītpraṇamyoccaiḥ pippalādo mahāmuniḥ | mama mātā mṛtā pūrvaṃ kaṃsārīti ca nāmataḥ

Translation

Поклонившись, великий мудрец Пиппалāda громко обратился к ним: «Моя мать прежде скончалась; по имени она была Камсāри (Kaṃsārī)».

Word by Word

• tān: them
• tān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū (ब्रू) (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (परस्मैपद) = Imperfect/Past; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• praṇamya: having bowed
• praṇamya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra-√nam (नम्) (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) = having bowed; अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग (indeclinable verbal)

• uccaiḥ: aloud, loudly
• uccaiḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: uccais (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = adverb

• pippalādaḥ: Pippalāda
• pippalādaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pippalāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• mahāmuniḥ: the great sage
• mahāmuniḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: कर्मधारय 'महान् मुनिः'; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; apposition to pippalādaḥ

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• mātā: mother
• mātā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mṛtā: dead
• mṛtā: Visheshana (Predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √mṛ (मृ) (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle) = dead; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective) to mātā

• pūrvam: formerly, earlier
• pūrvam: Kriya-visheshana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण) = temporal adverb

• kaṃsārī: Kaṃsāri (enemy of Kaṃsa)
• kaṃsārī: Samjna (Name/संज्ञा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṃsa (प्रातिपदिक) + ari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी) 'कंसस्य अरिः' = enemy of Kaṃsa; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (नामरूपेण)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरण/इति-निपात) = quotative particle

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• nāmataḥ: by name
• nāmataḥ: Sambandha (Specification/विशेषणार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय = 'by name/as to name' (ablatival adverb)

Speaker

Pippalāda

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Assembled brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pippalāda, hands folded, bows to an assembly of brāhmaṇas; his face shows restrained sorrow as he speaks of his deceased mother.

Characters & Entities

• Pippalāda
• Kaṃsārī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred acts can be offered in remembrance and dharmic intention, linking personal history to public holiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Nāgarakhaṇḍa site where Pippalāda’s Liṅga is connected to his mother Kaṃsārī’s memory.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse provides the motivation and context for the Liṅga’s establishment.