Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

अथ सा तत्क्षणादेव शिलारूपा बभूव ह । निश्चेष्टा तत्क्षणादेव मुनिवाक्यादनंतरम्

Transliteration

atha sā tatkṣaṇādeva śilārūpā babhūva ha | niśceṣṭā tatkṣaṇādeva munivākyādanaṃtaram

Translation

Rồi ngay khoảnh khắc ấy, bà liền hóa thành hình đá—bất động tức thì, ngay sau lời của bậc hiền thánh.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Kriya-visheshana (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/thereupon)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तत्-क्षणात्: from that moment
• तत्-क्षणात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; कालापादान (from that very moment)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipata (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (indeed/just)

• शिला-रूपा: stone-formed, turned into stone
• शिला-रूपा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिला (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (सा)

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• ह: indeed
• ह: Nipata (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्मरण/वृत्तान्तसूचक निपात (indeed/forsooth)

• निः-चेष्टा: motionless
• निः-चेष्टा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः (उपसर्ग) + चेष्टा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (सा)

• तत्-क्षणात्: from that moment
• तत्-क्षणात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; कालापादान

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipata (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक

• मुनि-वाक्यात्: from the sage’s utterance
• मुनि-वाक्यात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Ablative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वपादान (because of the sage's words)

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (immediately after)

Speaker

Narrator within the Tīrthamāhātmya (exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund/kshetra (implied narrative setting; not explicit in verse)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the very utterance, the queen’s body turns grey and textured, limbs freezing mid-gesture; sages remain steady, the court recoils in astonishment.

Characters & Entities

• Muni (sage, implied)
• Cursed woman (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic narratives emphasize moral causality: wrongful conduct can ripen into immediate consequences through a sage’s curse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is directly praised in this verse; it is part of the larger tīrtha-centered account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse describes the instantaneous effect of a śāpa (curse).