Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

ततः स पार्थिवस्तैश्च लिंगैर्दृष्ट्वा वृतां भुवम् । तत्क्षणान्मृत्युमापन्नः शिल्पिभिश्च समन्वितः

Transliteration

tataḥ sa pārthivastaiśca liṃgairdṛṣṭvā vṛtāṃ bhuvam | tatkṣaṇānmṛtyumāpannaḥ śilpibhiśca samanvitaḥ

Translation

แล้วกษัตริย์นั้น ครั้นเห็นแผ่นดินรอบด้านถูกศิวลึงค์เหล่านั้นปกคลุม ก็ถึงความตายในฉับพลัน—พร้อมด้วยช่างทั้งหลายที่ติดตามมา

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/अनुक्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पार्थिवः: the king
• पार्थिवः: Apposition (Karta-noun/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तैः: by/with those
• तैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; (लिङ्गैः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• लिङ्गैः: with the liṅgas
• लिङ्गैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय, अव्ययभाव)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• वृताम्: covered/surrounded
• वृताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √वृ (धातु) → वृत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle); विशेषणम् (भुवम्)

• भुवम्: the earth
• भुवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्क्षणात्: immediately/at that very moment
• तत्क्षणात्: Apadana (Ablative of time/अपादान-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत् + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्राय प्रयोगः; पञ्चमी-अर्थे (ablatival adverb) ‘तत्क्षणात्’ = ‘तस्मिन् क्षणे एव/ततः क्षणात्’; (समास: तत्पुरुष)

• मृत्युम्: death
• मृत्युम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आपन्नः: having met with/attained
• आपन्नः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ√पद् (धातु) → आपन्न (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्यय; (सः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• शिल्पिभिः: with artisans
• शिल्पिभिः: Sahakari (Association/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिल्पिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• समन्वितः: accompanied/associated
• समन्वितः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + अनु√इ (धातु) → समन्वित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्यय; (सः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from immediate narrative context of Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king stands amid a field suddenly crowded with revealed liṅgas; shock overtakes him; he collapses as artisans around him fall—an ominous stillness over the liṅga-strewn earth.

Characters & Entities

• pārthiva (king)
• liṅga
• śilpin (artisans)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Disrespecting or misusing sacred symbols (like Śiva-liṅgas) leads to immediate downfall; dharma protects, adharma destroys.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The wider episode belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse is a narrative consequence (phala) emphasizing reverence rather than a specific rite.