Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

सरस्वतीं समुद्दिश्य निष्क्रांतो नगरात्ततः । स्थानं प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य नमस्कृत्य सुदुःखितः

Transliteration

sarasvatīṃ samuddiśya niṣkrāṃto nagarāttataḥ | sthānaṃ pradakṣiṇīkṛtya namaskṛtya suduḥkhitaḥ

Translation

ثمّ، وقد وجّه همّه إلى سَرَسْوَتِي، خرج من المدينة. وهو شديد الكآبة، طاف بالمقام المقدّس طوافَ التبرّك ثم انحنى ساجدًا إجلالًا.

Word by Word

• सरस्वतीम्: Sarasvatī (river/goddess)
• सरस्वतीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• समुद्दिश्य: having set (his intention) toward
• समुद्दिश्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उद्-दिश् (धातु) + य (ल्यप्)
• Form: अव्यय-कृदन्त (ल्यप्/gerund); ‘having aimed at/with reference to’

• निष्क्रान्तः: having departed
• निष्क्रान्तः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निस्-क्रम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त) → निष्क्रान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त); पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि; (कर्ता-विशेषण)

• नगरात्: from the city
• नगरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नगर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kala/Anukrama (Temporal sequence/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अनन्तर (then/thereupon)

• स्थानम्: the place
• स्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य: having circumambulated
• प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√दक्षिणी-कृ (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: अव्यय-कृदन्त (क्त्वान्त/absolutive); ‘having circumambulated’

• नमस्कृत्य: having bowed/saluted
• नमस्कृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नमस्-√कृ (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: अव्यय-कृदन्त (क्त्वान्त); ‘having saluted’

• सुदुःखितः: very sorrowful
• सुदुःखितः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग) + दुःखित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (कर्ता-विशेषण)

Speaker

Narrator (deduced Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sorrowful pilgrim leaves the city, mind fixed on Sarasvatī; at the sacred place he performs pradakṣiṇā and prostrates in reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• city (nagara)
• sacred place (sthāna)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage begins with saṅkalpa (clear intention) and humility—expressed through circumambulation and prostration.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

Sarasvatī-tīrtha—the sanctity of approaching the Sarasvatī river is being introduced.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation) and namaskāra (reverential bowing) at the sacred site.