Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

तूष्णीं तु देवताहोमस्तैः कार्यः सुसमाहितैः । तल्लिंगैर्नृपतेमंत्रैः स्वशक्त्या जप एव च

Transliteration

tūṣṇīṃ tu devatāhomastaiḥ kāryaḥ susamāhitaiḥ | talliṃgairnṛpatemaṃtraiḥ svaśaktyā japa eva ca

Translation

แล้วพราหมณ์ผู้ประกอบพิธีพึงตั้งจิตแน่วแน่ กระทำโฮมบูชาแด่เทพเจ้าโดยสงบนิ่ง; และข้าแต่พระราชา พึงสวดภาวนา (ชปะ) ตามกำลัง ด้วยมนตร์ที่มีลักษณะเครื่องหมาย (ลิงคะ) อันถูกต้อง

Word by Word

• tūṣṇīm: silently
• tūṣṇīm: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tūṣṇīm (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय (silently)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयबोधक अव्यय (but/indeed)

• devatāhomaḥ: offering to the deity (homa)
• devatāhomaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā + homa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवतायाः होमः)

• taiḥ: by them
• taiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (instrumental pronoun)

• kāryaḥ: should be performed
• kāryaḥ: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicative qualifier/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kṛ + ya (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कृत्य-प्रत्यय (to be done)

• susamāhitaiḥ: by those well-concentrated
• susamāhitaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + samāhita (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (सम्+आ+√धा, क्त)

• tatliṅgaiḥ: with those signs/marks
• tatliṅgaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad + liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (तस्य लिङ्गैः = its marks/indicators)

• nṛpate: O king
• nṛpate: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• mantraiḥ: with mantras
• mantraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• svaśaktyā: according to one’s ability
• svaśaktyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva + śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (स्वस्य शक्त्या)

• japaḥ: recitation (japa)
• japaḥ: Karta (Co-subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: japa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय

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

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpati (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yajña-vedī at a tīrtha; priests seated with ladles and samidh, performing silent offerings while a patron-king observes; a japa-mālā and mantra-pustaka indicate disciplined recitation.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner steadiness is central to ritual power: silence, concentration, and sincere japa complete the outward ceremony.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is a general ritual directive within a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter; the particular tīrtha is contextual elsewhere in the adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform devatā-homa silently with focused priests, and undertake mantra-japa according to one’s ability.