Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

तत्रस्था यातनां रौद्रां सहं तेऽतीव दुःखिताः । नवमासिकदानं च तेषामाह्लादनं परम्

Transliteration

tatrasthā yātanāṃ raudrāṃ sahaṃ te'tīva duḥkhitāḥ | navamāsikadānaṃ ca teṣāmāhlādanaṃ param

Translation

เมื่ออยู่ ณ ที่นั้น เขาย่อมทนทุกข์ทรมานอันดุร้าย และเศร้าหมองยิ่งนัก สำหรับเขา ทานเก้าเดือน (นวมาสิกทาน) เป็นความปลอบประโลมอันสูงสุด

Word by Word

• तत्र-स्थाः: staying there
• तत्र-स्थाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tatra (अव्यय) + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (‘तत्र स्थिताः’)

• यातनाम्: torment; punishment
• यातनाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yātanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• रौद्राम्: fierce
• रौद्राम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: raudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘यातनाम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• सहन्ते: endure
• सहन्ते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sah (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; पाठे ‘सहं’ इति दृश्यते, तदर्थे अपेक्षितं ‘सहन्ते’

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• अतीव: exceedingly
• अतीव: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atīva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb): ‘अत्यन्तम्/very’

• दुःखिताः: afflicted; miserable
• दुःखिताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkhita (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘ते’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• नव-मासिक-दानम्: a nine-month donation/vow-gift
• नव-मासिक-दानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nava (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + māsika (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः (नवमासिकं दानम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक/conjunction)

• तेषाम्: for them; of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• आह्लादनम्: delight; relief
• आह्लादनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āhlādana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• परम्: supreme; greatest
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘आह्लादनम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Agni-kūṭa / Mahā-plāva (naraka)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Infernal sufferers enduring roudra torments; above/aside, a compassionate donor performing monthly gifts for nine months, sending a stream of cooling light/nectar that eases the torment.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even after grave wrongdoing, purāṇic dharma emphasizes remedial action—charity performed with faith is presented as a powerful means of relief and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

No explicit tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is on the redemptive efficacy of dāna within the chapter’s tīrthamāhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Navamāsika-dāna—an observance of charity connected to a nine-month period—is said to be the highest ‘comfort’ leading toward release.