Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

अष्टषष्टिविभागेन भूत्वा सर्वाः पृथक्पृथक् । तेषु तिष्ठथ मद्वाक्यात्पूजामग्र्यामवाप्स्यथ

Transliteration

aṣṭaṣaṣṭivibhāgena bhūtvā sarvāḥ pṛthakpṛthak | teṣu tiṣṭhatha madvākyātpūjāmagryāmavāpsyatha

Translation

จงแบ่งออกเป็นหกสิบแปดส่วน แล้วพวกท่านทั้งปวงจงแยกไปอยู่ต่างหาก แต่ละนางในที่ของตนเอง จงสถิตอยู่ในกษेत्रเหล่านั้นตามพระวาจาของเรา แล้วท่านจักได้รับการบูชาสูงสุด

Word by Word

• अष्टषष्टि-विभागेन: by the division into sixty-eight parts
• अष्टषष्टि-विभागेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टषष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + विभाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अष्टषष्टेः विभागः)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya (Adverbial participle/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; धातुः भू (भवति)

• सर्वाः: all (of them)
• सर्वाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम-शब्दः

• पृथक्: separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/रीति-वाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• पृथक्: each by itself
• पृथक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोगः (emphatic repetition)

• तेषु: in them
• तेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण/Locative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम-शब्दः

• तिष्ठथ: stay
• तिष्ठथ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; धातुः स्था (तिष्ठति)

• मत्-वाक्यात्: from my word/command
• मत्-वाक्यात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मम वाक्यम्)

• पूजाम्: worship
• पूजाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म/Accusative), एकवचन

• अग्र्याम्: excellent, foremost
• अग्र्याम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अग्र्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पूजाम्)

• अवाप्स्यथ: you will obtain
• अवाप्स्यथ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव्+आप् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), मध्यम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; धातुः आप् (प्राप्नोति) उपसर्गः अव-

Speaker

Rudra (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mātṛkā-kṣetra-cakra (68-fold distribution)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ (twice-born listeners)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A commanding deity issues an ordinance: the Mātṛs are instructed to divide into many portions and take residence in separate kṣetras, each becoming a seat of highest worship.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Mātṛkās
• Aṣṭaṣaṣṭi-kṣetra (68 kṣetras)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right placement and obedient alignment with divine command sustains sacred order and results in honoured worship and auspiciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The glorification is of a wider Śaiva tīrtha network—sixty-eight kṣetras—within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied worship framework: residing/being established in designated kṣetras leads to receiving agryā pūjā (foremost worship).