Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

तच्छ्रुत्वा चानयामास सर्वं सैन्यं महीपतिः । स्नातश्च कृतजप्यश्च सन्तर्प्य पितृदेवताः

Transliteration

tacchrutvā cānayāmāsa sarvaṃ sainyaṃ mahīpatiḥ | snātaśca kṛtajapyaśca santarpya pitṛdevatāḥ

Translation

فلما سمع الملك ذلك أتى بجيشه كلِّه. وبعد أن اغتسل وأتمَّ تلاواته (الجَپَا)، وقدَّم ما يُرضي الأسلاف (الپِتْر) والآلهة، مضى على ذلك النهج.

Word by Word

• tat: that (it)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (श्रु धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having heard)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• ānayāmāsa: brought / caused to be brought
• ānayāmāsa: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√nī (नी धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sarvam: all, entire
• sarvam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (सर्व प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

• sainyam: army
• sainyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sainya (सैन्य प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• mahīpatiḥ: king (lord of the earth)
• mahīpatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī-pati (मही + पति प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (mahīyāḥ patiḥ)

• snātaḥ: bathed
• snātaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: snā (स्ना धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (of mahīpatiḥ)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• kṛta-japyaḥ: one who has performed the required japa
• kṛta-japyaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृत) + japya (जप्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (kṛtaṃ japyaṃ yena saḥ) / बहुव्रीहिवत् प्रयोगः; विशेषण (of mahīpatiḥ)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• santarpya: having satisfied
• santarpya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to implied action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√tṛp (तृप् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having satisfied/propitiated)

• pitṛ-devatāḥ: the deities of the ancestors (pitṛ-deities)
• pitṛ-devatāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (पितृ) + devatā (देवता)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (pitṝṇāṃ devatāḥ)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king arrives with a full army at a sacred ford; soldiers stand at a respectful distance while the king bathes, performs japa with rosary, and offers water-libations to pitṛs and devas at the riverbank/ghāṭa.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Vasiṣṭha
• Pitṛs
• Devatās

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Righteous action is preceded by purification and remembrance—snāna, japa, and honoring Pitṛs and devas align one’s conduct with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A specific tīrtha is not named in this verse; it describes standard tīrtha-associated observances (snāna and tarpaṇa).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing), japa (sacred recitation), and pitṛ-tarpaṇa/devatā-tarpaṇa (satiating offerings to ancestors and gods).