Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

नित्यमश्वत्थसंस्पर्शात्पापं याति सहस्रधा । दुग्धेन तर्पणं ये वै तिलमिश्रेण भक्तितः

Transliteration

nityamaśvatthasaṃsparśātpāpaṃ yāti sahasradhā | dugdhena tarpaṇaṃ ye vai tilamiśreṇa bhaktitaḥ

Translation

ด้วยการสัมผัสต้นอัศวัตถะ (ปิปปละ) ทุกวัน บาปย่อมแตกสลายเป็นพันเท่า และผู้ใดถวายตัรปณะด้วยน้ำนมผสมงา ด้วยศรัทธาภักดี ย่อมได้บุญอันชำระมลทิน

Word by Word

• नित्यम्: always; constantly
• नित्यम्: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन/क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण (adverbial accusative)

• अश्वत्थसंस्पर्शात्: from touching the aśvattha
• अश्वत्थसंस्पर्शात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वत्थसंस्पर्श (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (अश्वत्थस्य संस्पर्शः)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• याति: goes away; departs
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person/प्रथम), एकवचन

• सहस्रधा: a thousandfold
• सहस्रधा: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रधा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: in a thousand ways/into a thousandfold)

• दुग्धेन: with milk
• दुग्धेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुग्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• तर्पणम्: libation/satiation offering
• तर्पणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मपद (object of ‘करिष्यन्ति’ in next verse)

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• तिलमिश्रेण: mixed with sesame
• तिलमिश्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तिलमिश्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (तिलैः मिश्रः)

• भक्तितः: with devotion
• भक्तितः: Sambandha (Manner/Cause/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb: from/with devotion)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa–Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style; exact speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee gently touches the pippala trunk at dawn, then offers tarpaṇa from a small vessel—milk mixed with sesame—at the tree’s base, with focused devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvattha
• Pippala
• Tila
• Dugdha
• Tarpaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Daily reverence to the Aśvattha—expressed even through touch and simple offerings—functions as a powerful purifier of pāpa when done with bhakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse chiefly glorifies the sacred Aśvattha (pippala) as a living tīrtha within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya setting, rather than naming a single city-tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tarpaṇa (libation/oblation) performed with milk mixed with sesame, offered devotionally.