Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

पतिव्रता त्वमाचीर्णं यदि सम्यङ्मया स्फुटम् । तेन सत्येन भूपृष्ठान्निर्गच्छतु जलं शुभम्

Transliteration

pativratā tvamācīrṇaṃ yadi samyaṅmayā sphuṭam | tena satyena bhūpṛṣṭhānnirgacchatu jalaṃ śubham

Translation

“நான் தெளிவாகவும் முறையாகவும் பத்தினித் தர்மத்தை கடைப்பிடித்திருந்தால், அந்தச் சத்தியத்தின் வலிமையால் பூமியின் மேற்பரப்பிலிருந்து மங்களமான நீர் வெளிப்படுக.”

Word by Word

• पतिव्रता: a devoted wife
• पतिव्रता: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; समास: पतेः व्रतम् यस्याः सा (उपपद-तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीहि-प्रायः; रूढ्या 'devoted to husband')

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: एकवचन; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता)

• आचीर्णम्: practised/observed
• आचीर्णम्: Karma (Predicate complement)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपसर्ग-आ (practised/observed)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तवाचक (conditional 'if')

• सम्यक्: properly
• सम्यक्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (properly, rightly)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karaṇa (Instrument/Agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: एकवचन; तृतीया (3rd/करण)

• स्फुटम्: clearly
• स्फुटम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्फुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् क्रियाविशेषण (clearly, distinctly)

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; 'by that/thereby'

• सत्येन: by (this) truth
• सत्येन: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• भूपृष्ठात्: from the earth's surface
• भूपृष्ठात्: Apādāna (Ablative source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक) + पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; समास: भू+पृष्ठ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'earth-surface')

• निर्गच्छतु: let (it) come forth
• निर्गच्छतु: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग-निर् (let it come forth/go out)

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• शुभम्: pure/auspicious
• शुभम्: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; विशेषण (auspicious/pure)

Speaker

Dīrghikā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dīrghikā-prādurbhūta-jala (implied)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dīrghikā, hands joined or raised in solemn declaration, invokes her pativratā truth; from the earth before her, a clear auspicious spring bursts forth, illuminating the forest clearing.

Characters & Entities

• Dīrghikā
• Satya (truth-act, concept)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Truth (satya) empowered by dharmic conduct becomes transformative; purity of vow is depicted as generating sacred resources for life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse signals the birth/manifestation of a water-source as a tīrtha, but the excerpt does not provide the tīrtha’s proper name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A satya-kriyā (truth-declaration) is performed—invoking truth as a spiritual act to manifest auspicious water.