Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 202

Devanagari script

मया हि सुमहत्पापं सर्वदा समनुष्ठितम् । तत्रापि मंत्रमाहात्म्यात्प्राप्ता लोका महोदयाः

Transliteration

mayā hi sumahatpāpaṃ sarvadā samanuṣṭhitam | tatrāpi maṃtramāhātmyātprāptā lokā mahodayāḥ

Translation

แท้จริงเรากระทำบาปใหญ่ยิ่งอยู่เสมอ; ถึงกระนั้นด้วยมหิทธิฤทธิ์แห่งมนตร์ เราก็บรรลุโลกอันสูงส่งเปี่ยมมหาอุทัยรุ่งเรือง

Word by Word

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), उत्तमपुरुष-संबन्धि; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/हेतु-सूचक (emphatic/causal)

• सुमहत्: very great
• सुमहत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु- + महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण (adjective); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• सर्वदा: always
• सर्वदा: Adhikarana (Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• समनुष्ठितम्: performed/committed
• समनुष्ठितम्: Karma (Object described/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + अनु + √स्था (धातु) → समनुष्ठित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन (Nom./Acc. Singular) — ‘पापम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणरूपेण

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (also/even)

• मन्त्रमाहात्म्यात्: from the greatness of the mantra
• मन्त्रमाहात्म्यात्: Apadana (Cause/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): मन्त्रस्य माहात्म्यम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्राप्ताः: attained
• प्राप्ताः: Kriya (Predicate state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √आप् (धातु) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle, active sense); पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural) — ‘लोकाः’ इत्यस्य विधेय

• लोकाः: worlds/realms
• लोकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• महोदयाः: highly exalted
• महोदयाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + उदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय: महः उदयः यस्य/ये (greatly prosperous); पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural) — ‘लोकाः’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

Speaker

The transformed serpent/person (testifying to mantra power)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇa (implied by surrounding verses addressing ‘dvija’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A remorseful pilgrim-confessor speaks before a sage/brāhmaṇa; behind them a tīrtha landscape with a shrine and riverbank; a luminous mantra-syllable aura rises upward, symbolizing ascent to exalted worlds.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra-māhātmya is portrayed as profoundly redemptive—capable of uplifting even one burdened by heavy wrongdoing when approached with faith and practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha narrative context frames the testimony; the focus here is the mantra’s salvific power within the sacred-travel ethos.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly reinforces continued mantra-japa and reliance on mantra-māhātmya as a purificatory path.