Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

भ्रष्टराज्यस्तु यो राजा एनामाराधयिष्यति । स्वं राज्यमचिरात्प्राप्य स प्रतापी भविष्यति

Transliteration

bhraṣṭarājyastu yo rājā enāmārādhayiṣyati | svaṃ rājyamacirātprāpya sa pratāpī bhaviṣyati

Translation

“凡失落王国之君王，若礼拜此物（铁杖），不久便能重得本国，并成威光赫奕之王。”

Word by Word

• भ्रष्टराज्यः: one who has lost his kingdom
• भ्रष्टराज्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भ्रष्ट + राज्य (प्रातिपदिके; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• एनाम्: her/this (staff)
• एनाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• आराधयिष्यति: will propitiate/worship
• आराधयिष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + राध् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्वम्: his own
• स्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनामसदृश)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• राज्यम्: kingdom
• राज्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अचिरात्: soon
• अचिरात्: Adverbial (Kāla/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अचिरात् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘before long/soon’)

• प्राप्य: having obtained
• प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय; absolutive/gerund)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रतापी: powerful/valiant
• प्रतापी: Karta-predicative (Predicate adjective/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रतापिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• भविष्यति: will become
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rāma (and by extension future pilgrims)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A deposed king, travel-worn, approaches the shrine of the iron staff, offers flowers and lamps, and is shown later enthroned again with renewed radiance (pratāpa).

Characters & Entities

• King (rājā)
• Lohayaṣṭi (iron staff)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Legitimate power is restored through dharma—reverent worship aligned with sacred tradition is portrayed as a source of stability and strength.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The promised result is tied to the tīrtha-context of Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya; the specific locale is not named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ārādhana (devotional worship/propitiation) of the iron staff as a means to regain lost sovereignty.