Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

तद्दृष्ट्वा स महीपालः पद्ममत्यद्भुतं महत् । जग्राह कौतुकाविष्टः स्वयं सव्येन पाणिना

Transliteration

taddṛṣṭvā sa mahīpālaḥ padmamatyadbhutaṃ mahat | jagrāha kautukāviṣṭaḥ svayaṃ savyena pāṇinā

Translation

اُس عظیم اور نہایت عجیب کنول کو دیکھ کر، تجسّس میں ڈوبا ہوا بادشاہ نے خود اپنے بائیں ہاتھ سے اسے تھام لیا۔

Word by Word

• tat: that (lotus)
• tat: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Neuter Accusative Singular (object of dṛṣṭvā)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त) = gerund; अर्थ: having seen

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Masculine Nominative Singular

• mahī-pālaḥ: the king
• mahī-pālaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + pāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी) = protector of the earth; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• padmam: lotus
• padmam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = Neuter Accusative Singular

• ati-adbhutam: most marvelous
• ati-adbhutam: Karman (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + adbhuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास/उपपद-समास = exceedingly wonderful; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (qualifying padmam)

• mahat: great
• mahat: Karman (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = Neuter Accusative Singular (qualifying padmam)

• jagrāha: took/held
• jagrāha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद) = Perfect; प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन = 3rd person singular; अर्थ: seized/took

• kautuka-āviṣṭaḥ: filled with curiosity
• kautuka-āviṣṭaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kautuka (प्रातिपदिक) + āviṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास = possessed/overcome by curiosity; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (qualifying saḥ/mahīpālaḥ)

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Karta (Emphatic/कर्तृ-निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable; अर्थ: स्वयं = himself

• savyena: with the left
• savyena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: savya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन = Instrumental Singular; विशेषण (qualifying pāṇinā)

• pāṇinā: hand
• pāṇinā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन = Masculine Instrumental Singular

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king, waist-deep in water, reaches out and lifts the enormous radiant lotus with his left hand, his face a mix of awe and curiosity; attendants watch in alarm from the bank.

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhadbala (implied)
• Lotus (padma)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred manifestations invite reverence and discernment; impulsive grasping can lead to unforeseen consequences in a holy setting.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The holy water-body of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya, shown to be powerful enough to produce miraculous signs.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse implies the importance of proper conduct around sacred objects and tīrtha-wonders.