Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

सोऽपि तत्सर्वमाकर्ण्य ततः शीघ्रतरं गतः । पद्भ्यामेव स्थितो यत्र सत्यसन्धो महीपतिः

Transliteration

so'pi tatsarvamākarṇya tataḥ śīghrataraṃ gataḥ | padbhyāmeva sthito yatra satyasandho mahīpatiḥ

Translation

وهو أيضًا، لما سمع كل ذلك، مضى مسرعًا أشدَّ إسراع إلى الموضع الذي كان فيه الملك حامي الأرض، ساتياسَنْدها، قائمًا على قدميه.

Word by Word

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

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ (also/even)

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• ākarṇya: having heard
• ākarṇya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√kṛ (धातु; श्रवणे—आकर्णयति) + ल्यप्/य (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having heard/listened)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Adverbial locus/काल-देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय; तद्-प्रभव)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), अपादान/काल-निर्देश (then/from there)

• śīghrataram: more quickly
• śīghrataram: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śīghra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-रूप (comparative adverb), नपुंसक एकवचन-आकारेण (more quickly)

• gataḥ: went
• gataḥ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• padbhyām: with (his) two feet
• padbhyām: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), द्विवचन (Neuter, Instrumental, Dual)

• eva: only
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), अवधारण (only/just)

• sthitaḥ: stood
• sthitaḥ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-अव्यय (relative adverb), देशवाचक (where)

• satya-sandhaḥ: true to his vow
• satya-sandhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक) + sandha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (one whose resolve is true) (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• mahīpatiḥ: the king
• mahīpatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahīpati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (mahīyāḥ patiḥ) (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (third-person storytelling within the māhātmya; exact speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bṛhadbala (or the informed leader) moving quickly along a path toward a standing king Satyasaṃdha, who is on foot—suggesting humility, readiness, or vow-observance—near a sacred precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Satyasaṃdha
• Bṛhadbala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Swift response to dharmic news and reverence toward vow-keeping (satya-saṃdha) are portrayed as virtues in Purāṇic conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse, though it sits within the Gartātīrtha/Prāptipura māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.