Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

प्राणिनं काल संदष्टमपि मृत्युवशंगतम् । प्रकरिष्यति जीवाढ्यं प्रक्षिप्य वदने स्वयम्

Transliteration

prāṇinaṃ kāla saṃdaṣṭamapi mṛtyuvaśaṃgatam | prakariṣyati jīvāḍhyaṃ prakṣipya vadane svayam

Translation

แม้สัตว์ผู้ถูกกาลกัดกร่อน ตกอยู่ใต้อำนาจแห่งความตาย—มนตร์สามพยางค์นี้ เมื่อวางลงในปากด้วยตนเอง ย่อมฟื้นคืนและทำให้เปี่ยมด้วยชีวิต

Word by Word

• prāṇinam: a living being/person
• prāṇinam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• kāla: by Time (Death)
• kāla: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण/हेतु-भावे (by time/death)

• saṃdaṣṭam: bitten, seized
• saṃdaṣṭam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃ-√daṃś (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; prāṇinam इति विशेषण

• api: even though
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कारक (even/although)

• mṛtyuvaśaṃgatam: fallen under death’s control
• mṛtyuvaśaṃgatam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक) + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (कृदन्त; √gam (धातु) से)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: मृत्योः वशं गतः (gone under the control of death); prāṇinam इति विशेषण

• prakariṣyati: will make/bring about
• prakariṣyati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• jīvāḍhyam: full of life, vital
• jīvāḍhyam: Karma (Object complement/कर्मपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jīva (प्रातिपदिक) + āḍhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: जीवैः आढ्यः/जीवसमृद्धः (rich in life = full of vitality); prāṇinam इति परिणाम-विशेषण

• prakṣipya: having put/inserted
• prakṣipya: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√kṣip (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund); पूर्वकाले कृत्य (having thrown/put)

• vadane: in the mouth
• vadane: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vadana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• svayam: oneself
• svayam: Sambandha (Agent emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मवाचक (reflexive adverb: 'oneself')

Speaker

Śiva (Vṛṣabhadhvaja)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgara (mantra-mahātmya within tīrtha narrative)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dying person lies pale; a brāhmaṇa leans close, administering mantra—either whispered into the mouth or via drops of mantra-charged water—while Time (Kāla) is symbolically shown retreating; life returns as a soft glow.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Vṛṣabhadhvaja
• Kāla
• Mṛtyu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s mantra is portrayed as life-restoring and fate-overcoming, affirming the purāṇic theme that divine remembrance and mantra-japa can reverse calamity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra narrative within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mantra-usage is emphasized—placing/uttering the mantra (japa/smaraṇa) as an immediate protective act.