Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणा ऊचुः । तव मूर्तिं करिष्यामः स्थानेऽत्र प्रपितामह । तस्यां संक्रमणं नित्यं तस्मात्कार्यं त्वयाविभो

Transliteration

brāhmaṇā ūcuḥ | tava mūrtiṃ kariṣyāmaḥ sthāne'tra prapitāmaha | tasyāṃ saṃkramaṇaṃ nityaṃ tasmātkāryaṃ tvayāvibho

Translation

Các Bà-la-môn thưa rằng: “Ôi Bậc Tổ Tiên tôn kính, chúng con sẽ tạc dựng thánh tượng của Ngài ngay tại nơi này. Vì thế, ôi Đấng Chí Tôn, xin Ngài mỗi ngày đều giáng nhập, thường hằng an trụ trong tượng ấy.”

Word by Word

• brāhmaṇāḥ: the Brahmins
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (Speaker/Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदी

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

• mūrtim: form/image
• mūrtim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• kariṣyāmaḥ: we will make
• kariṣyāmaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदी

• sthāne: in the place
• sthāne: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location adjunct/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक

• prapitāmaha: O great-grandfather (ancestor)
• prapitāmaha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prapitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• tasyām: in it (in that image/place)
• tasyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• saṃkramaṇam: transition/entry (ritual movement)
• saṃkramaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkramaṇa (प्रातिपदिक; √kram (क्रम्) + saṃ-)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• nityam: daily/always
• nityam: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावे प्रयोगः; क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative)

• tasmāt: therefore/from that
• tasmāt: Hetu/Apadana (Reason/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kāryam: to be done/should be done
• kāryam: Karma (Predicate necessity/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ (कृ) ण्यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ण्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive: to be done)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vibho: O Lord
• vibho: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas (ritual specialists in the narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brāhmaṇas speak in unison, preparing to craft an image (mūrti) at the tīrtha; tools, stone/metal, and ritual items are arranged; they request the lord/forefather to enter the image daily.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Mūrti
• Prapitāmaha (Brahmā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred place and sacred form cooperate: establishing an image and invoking ongoing divine presence sustains the tīrtha’s living sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha is referenced as ‘here in this place’; the verse itself does not provide the site-name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Making a mūrti and requesting/ensuring continual divine entry (saṃkramaṇa) into it—an idea akin to ongoing sanctification connected with worship.