Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

ततः प्रोक्तो मया रामः स्पृशेमां वत्स पाणिना । मानुषत्वं लभेद्येन गौतमस्य प्रिया मुनेः । शापदोषेण संजाता शिलेयं तस्य सन्मुनेः

Transliteration

tataḥ prokto mayā rāmaḥ spṛśemāṃ vatsa pāṇinā | mānuṣatvaṃ labhedyena gautamasya priyā muneḥ | śāpadoṣeṇa saṃjātā śileyaṃ tasya sanmuneḥ

Translation

แล้วเรากล่าวแก่พระรามว่า “ดูลูกรัก จงเอาพระหัตถ์สัมผัสศิลานี้เถิด ด้วยสิ่งนี้ ภรรยาผู้เป็นที่รักของมุนีโคตมะจักได้คืนสู่ความเป็นมนุษย์ เพราะโทษแห่งคำสาป นางจึงกลายเป็นศิลานี้ของฤๅษีผู้ประเสริฐนั้น”

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय, अनुक्रमवाचक (thereupon)

• प्रोक्तः: was addressed / was told
• प्रोक्तः: Kriya (Predicate in passive/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रोक्त (प्र-√वच् धातु; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि — ‘was addressed/was told’

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• रामः: Rāma
• रामः: Karma (Patient in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• स्पृश: touch
• स्पृश: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्पृश् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• इमाम्: this (one)
• इमाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वत्स: dear child
• वत्स: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• पाणिना: with (your) hand
• पाणिना: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• मानुषत्वम्: human state, humanity
• मानुषत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुषत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• लभेत्: may obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• येन: by which
• येन: Karaṇa (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध/हेतुवाचक (by which/whereby)

• गौतमस्य: of Gautama
• गौतमस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• प्रिया: beloved (wife)
• प्रिया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘beloved (wife)’

• मुनेः: of the sage
• मुनेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• शापदोषेण: due to the fault of a curse
• शापदोषेण: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप + दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शापस्य दोषः)

• संजाता: having become
• संजाता: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संजात (सम्-√जन् धातु; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त — ‘having become’

• शिला: a stone
• शिला: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• इयम्: this (she)
• इयम्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तस्य: of him / his
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• सत्-मुनेः: of the good sage
• सत्-मुनेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक) + मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (सन् मुनिः)

Speaker

Ṛṣi narrator (first-person), instructing Rāma

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ahalyā-vimocana-sthāna (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rāma (addressed as vatsa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage gently instructs young Rāma to touch the stone; Ahalyā’s stone form is prominent; Lakṣmaṇa watches; the hermitage radiates quiet sanctity as the moment of release approaches.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Gautama
• Ahalyā (implied as Gautama’s priyā)
• Śāpa (curse)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate action guided by dharma becomes a channel for liberation; divine touch dispels the bondage of past wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gautama’s hermitage is the sacred setting connected with Ahalyā’s redemption; the verse itself does not provide a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A single, symbolic act is prescribed: the righteous touch (sparśa) by Rāma as a liberating, purifying intervention.