Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 119

Devanagari script

शक्रस्तु तद्वचः श्रुत्वा ब्रह्मणोऽव्यक्तजन्मनः । कपालं वृत्रजं गृह्य तीर्थयात्रां ततो गतः

Transliteration

śakrastu tadvacaḥ śrutvā brahmaṇo'vyaktajanmanaḥ | kapālaṃ vṛtrajaṃ gṛhya tīrthayātrāṃ tato gataḥ

Translation

ครั้นศักระได้สดับวาจานั้นของพระพรหม ผู้มีปฐมกำเนิดอันไม่ปรากฏ ก็หยิบกะโหลกซึ่งบังเกิดจากวฤตระ แล้วออกเดินทางจาริกสู่ทีรถะทั้งหลาย

Word by Word

• शक्रः: Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (but/indeed)

• तत्-वचः: his words
• तत्-वचः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तस्य वचः)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund): having heard

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• अव्यक्त-जन्मनः: whose birth is unmanifest
• अव्यक्त-जन्मनः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक) + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (अव्यक्तं जन्म यस्य) — ब्रह्मणः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• कपालम्: skull
• कपालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• वृत्र-जम्: born from Vṛtra
• वृत्र-जम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वृत्रात् जातम्) — कपालम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• गृह्य: having taken
• गृह्य: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund): having taken

• तीर्थ-यात्राम्: pilgrimage to sacred places
• तीर्थ-यात्राम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थस्य यात्रा)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• गतः: went
• गतः: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator in Tīrthamāhātmya context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra departs with resolve, holding the Vṛtra-born skull; behind him the tīrtha recedes, ahead lie multiple shrines and river crossings. Brahmā’s presence is implied as a guiding authority, perhaps shown in the sky or seated on a lotus.

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Brahmā
• Vṛtra
• kapāla
• tīrthayātrā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Guidance from the divine and the resolve to undertake tīrtha-yātrā are presented as powerful means of removing grave defilements.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse introduces the pilgrimage sequence that culminates at Viśvāmitra-hrada in the Hāṭakeśvara region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Undertaking tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage) as a prāyaścitta-oriented spiritual discipline.