Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

न तद्रक्षेति यो मन्त्रं जपेद्र क्षाकृते नरः । तस्य स्यात्सर्वतो रक्षा समेषु विषमेषु च

Transliteration

na tadrakṣeti yo mantraṃ japedra kṣākṛte naraḥ | tasya syātsarvato rakṣā sameṣu viṣameṣu ca

Translation

ผู้ใดสวดมนต์ “นะ ตัด รักเษ …” เพื่อความคุ้มครอง ณ ที่นั้น ผู้นั้นย่อมได้รับการปกปักรักษาจากทุกทิศ ทั้งยามราบรื่นและยามคับขัน

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—निषेध (particle of negation)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘मन्त्रं’ इत्यस्य विशेषण (that)

• रक्ष: protect
• रक्ष: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; इति-शब्देन उद्धृतम्

• इति: thus
• इति: Vacana-paryavasana (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—उद्धरण/इत्यर्थक (quotative particle)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• मन्त्रम्: the mantra
• मन्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• रक्षाकृते: for protection
• रक्षाकृते: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: रक्षा + कृते (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-निभम् अव्ययीभावार्थे प्रयोगः; ‘कृते’ = हेतु/प्रयोजनवाचक (for the sake of)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘यः’ इत्यस्य अप्पोजिशन

• तस्य: for him / of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• सर्वतः: from all sides
• सर्वतः: Desha (Direction/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—सर्वदिक्/सर्वतः (adverb: from all sides)

• रक्षा: protection
• रक्षा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• समेषु: in even (favorable) situations
• समेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; ‘स्थानेषु/कालेषु’ इत्यध्याहारः

• विषमेषु: in uneven (adverse) situations
• विषमेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; ‘स्थानेषु/कालेषु’ इत्यध्याहारः

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—समुच्चय (conjunction)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from tīrthamāhātmya instructional style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: General ‘naraḥ’ (man) addressed via phalaśruti; earlier vocative to dvijasattamāḥ continues the didactic frame.

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A traveler-pilgrim chants a protective mantra at the tirtha; unseen dangers recede—wild beasts, thieves, storms—forming a symbolic ring of protection.

Characters & Entities

• Mantra/Japa
• Rakṣā (protection)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred recitation at a tīrtha is upheld as a source of all-around protection, reinforcing faith and disciplined practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter’s tīrtha in Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; the excerpt does not specify the place-name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa of the mantra identified by the opening phrase “na tad rakṣe …” for protective efficacy.