Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

वापीकूपतडागानामारामाणां विशे षतः । आरोपकः प्रपाणां च न प्रेतो जायते नरः

Transliteration

vāpīkūpataḍāgānāmārāmāṇāṃ viśe ṣataḥ | āropakaḥ prapāṇāṃ ca na preto jāyate naraḥ

Translation

బావులు, కూపాలు, చెరువులు నిర్మింపజేసి, ప్రత్యేకంగా ఉద్యానాలు నాటించి, త్రాగునీటి చాట్రాలు/ప్రపలు స్థాపించువాడు—అటువంటి మనిషి ప్రేతయోనిలో జన్మించడు।

Word by Word

• vāpīkūpataḍāgānām: of wells, ponds, and tanks
• vāpīkūpataḍāgānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāpī (प्रातिपदिक) + kūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + taḍāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (वापी-कूप-तडाग)

• ārāmāṇām: of gardens/groves
• ārāmāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ārāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (विशेषणार्थक-क्रियाविशेषण)

• āropakaḥ: planter/one who causes planting
• āropakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āropaka (प्रातिपदिक; ā+ruh/rop (धातु) ण्वुल्/क)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक-नाम (agent noun)

• prapāṇām: of water-sheds/drinking-water stations
• prapāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prapā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• pretaḥ: a preta
• pretaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय

• jāyate: is born/becomes
• jāyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट्, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• naraḥ: man
• naraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Māṃsāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Workers dig a well and line a stepwell; nearby a pond glistens, a garden with flowering trees offers shade, and a traveler drinks at a water-station (prapā) under a canopy; the donor oversees with humility.

Characters & Entities

• Vāpī
• Kūpa
• Taḍāga
• Ārāma
• Prapā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes loka-hita: sustaining life through water and shade is a high form of merit praised in tīrtha traditions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named; the verse promotes infrastructure that supports pilgrims and communities around tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Establishing water sources (kūpa, taḍāga, vāpī), gardens (ārāma), and drinking-water stations (prapā).