Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

तां दृष्ट्वा सोऽपि दुष्टात्मा वैराग्यं परमं गतः । सत्याशया पुनः प्राप्ता संत्यज्य प्राणजं भयम्

Transliteration

tāṃ dṛṣṭvā so'pi duṣṭātmā vairāgyaṃ paramaṃ gataḥ | satyāśayā punaḥ prāptā saṃtyajya prāṇajaṃ bhayam

Translation

ครั้นเห็นนาง แม้ผู้อกุศลใจนั้นก็ถึงซึ่งไวรากยะอันสูงสุด นางยึดมั่นในสัจจะแล้วกลับมาอีกครั้ง สลัดความหวาดกลัวที่เกาะเกี่ยวกับชีวิตทิ้งไป

Word by Word

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूप (fem. acc. sg.)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; ‘having seen’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूप (masc. nom. sg.)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ ‘also/even’

• दुष्टात्मा: the wicked-souled one
• दुष्टात्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुष्ट (कृदन्त/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दुष्टः आत्मा यस्य/दुष्ट आत्मा)

• वैराग्यम्: dispassion, detachment
• वैराग्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैराग्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neut. acc. sg.)

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणं ‘वैराग्यम्’ प्रति (neut. acc. sg.)

• गतः: attained, went to
• गतः: Karta (Predicate participle/कर्तृ-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः (masc. nom. sg.)

• सत्याशया: with true hope / by hope in truth
• सत्याशया: Hetu/Karaṇa (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + आशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समास ‘सत्य-आशया’ = सत्ये आशा यस्याः/सत्याशा; (instr. sg.)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• प्राप्ता: was obtained/returned (fem.)
• प्राप्ता: Karta (Predicate participle/कर्तृ-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्राप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (fem. nom. sg.)

• संत्यज्य: having abandoned
• संत्यज्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having completely abandoned’

• प्राणजम्: born of life (i.e., instinctive)
• प्राणजम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, ‘born’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ‘प्राणात् जायते’ (neut. acc. sg.), विशेषणं ‘भयम्’ प्रति

• भयम्: fear
• भयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neut. acc. sg.)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator voice within the Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tense forest-tīrtha encounter: a fearsome tiger, softened by witnessing a woman’s unwavering truth and return; the atmosphere shifts from threat to serenity as dispassion dawns in the predator and fear drops away in the devotee.

Characters & Entities

• Nandinī
• vyāghra (tiger)
• vairāgya
• satya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Truth and vow-keeping have transformative power, awakening detachment and moral clarity even in a violent being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The sanctity is conveyed through the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya setting; the line itself does not name a separate tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the emphasis is on inner dharma—fearlessness rooted in satya.