Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यस्मिन्दृष्टेऽथवा स्पृष्टे कीर्तिते वा द्विजोत्तमाः । पातकं नाशमायाति भास्करेण तमो यथा

Transliteration

yasmindṛṣṭe'thavā spṛṣṭe kīrtite vā dvijottamāḥ | pātakaṃ nāśamāyāti bhāskareṇa tamo yathā

Translation

اے بہترین دِویجوں! اسے صرف دیکھ لینے، چھو لینے یا اس کی ستائش کرنے سے ہی گناہ مٹ جاتا ہے، جیسے سورج سے اندھیرا فنا ہو جاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• yasmin: in which (when/where)
• yasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• dṛṣṭe: when (it is) seen
• dṛṣṭe: Adhikarana (Condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘when seen’ (locative absolute-like usage)

• athavā: or
• athavā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: athavā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive)

• spṛṣṭe: when (it is) touched
• spṛṣṭe: Adhikarana (Condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: spṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘when touched’

• kīrtite: when (it is) praised/mentioned
• kīrtite: Adhikarana (Condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kīrt (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘when praised/recited’

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक निपात (particle ‘or’)

• dvija-uttamāḥ: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• dvija-uttamāḥ: Sambodhana/Address (Vocative sense in context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (uttamāḥ dvijāḥ)

• pātakam: sin
• pātakam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• nāśam: destruction; end
• nāśam: Gati/Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• āyāti: comes to; reaches
• āyāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु) + ā- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• bhāskareṇa: by the sun
• bhāskareṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāskara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• tamaḥ: darkness
• tamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Upamana-marker (Comparison)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानवाचक (comparative particle)

Speaker

Narratorial voice within Tīrthamāhātmya (contextually Sūta speaking to ṛṣis)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara (within Puṣkara-tritaya)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-uttamāḥ / ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims approach the water; one merely gazes, another touches the water with fingertips, a third chants praise—behind them the sun breaks through clouds, visually echoing the simile of darkness dispelled.

Characters & Entities

• Dvija (brāhmaṇas)
• Bhāskara (Sun)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with a true tīrtha—through sight, touch, or praise—purifies the devotee and dissolves pāpa by its inherent sacred power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara-tīrtha (context of Adhyāya 179 in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not a detailed rite—rather, three access-points to merit are stated: darśana (seeing), sparśana (touching), and kīrtana (praise/recitation).