Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

शुक्लया तस्य रूपं च तव नूनं भविष्यति । कृष्णयापि पुनः स्वं च संप्राप्स्यसि महाद्विज

Transliteration

śuklayā tasya rūpaṃ ca tava nūnaṃ bhaviṣyati | kṛṣṇayāpi punaḥ svaṃ ca saṃprāpsyasi mahādvija

Translation

Nhờ viên trắng, chắc chắn con sẽ mang lấy hình dạng của người ấy. Còn nhờ viên đen, hỡi đại Bà-la-môn, con sẽ lại thu hồi hình dạng của chính mình.

Word by Word

• śuklayā: by the white (pellet)
• śuklayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śukla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; (गुटिका-शुक्ला इति) साधनवाचक

• tasya: of him/of that
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• rūpam: form/appearance
• rūpam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम

• nūnam: certainly
• nūnam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nūnam (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (adverb: certainly)

• bhaviṣyati: will become/will be
• bhaviṣyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• kṛṣṇayā: by the black (pellet)
• kṛṣṇayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; (गुटिका-कृष्णा इति) साधनवाचक

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-कारक-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरावृत्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (adverb: again)

• svam: one's own (form/state)
• svam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• saṃprāpsyasi: you will obtain/attain
• saṃprāpsyasi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam+prāp (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• mahā-dvija: O great Brahmin
• mahā-dvija: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः

Speaker

Bhāskara (continuing instruction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādvija (recipient)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close depiction of the two pellets’ effects: with the white pellet the devotee assumes another’s appearance; with the black pellet he returns to his own form, while Bhāskara instructs calmly.

Characters & Entities

• Bhāskara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Power is paired with reversal/return—suggesting responsibility, limits, and the dharmic preference for restoration over permanent deception.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this verse; it elaborates the siddhi mechanism within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use the white pellet to assume another’s form and the black pellet to return to one’s own form.