Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तत्र पूर्वं महाभागा मुनयः सेव्य तं प्रभुम् । मृत्तिकाग्रहणं कृत्वा तस्य चायतने शुभे

Transliteration

tatra pūrvaṃ mahābhāgā munayaḥ sevya taṃ prabhum | mṛttikāgrahaṇaṃ kṛtvā tasya cāyatane śubhe

Translation

هناك، في الأزمنة السالفة، خدمَ الحكماءُ ذوو الحظ العظيم ذلك الربَّ؛ وفي مقامه المبارك أخذوا الطينَ المقدّس وأدّوا العملَ المقرَّر شعائريًّا.

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb: there)

• pūrvam: formerly
• pūrvam: Kāla-adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb: formerly/earlier)

• mahābhāgāḥ: the fortunate (ones)
• mahābhāgāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन; कर्मधारयसमासः (great-fortuned)

• munayaḥ: sages
• munayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन

• sevya: having served
• sevya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sev (धातु) + ya (ल्यप्/कृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund, variant of -tvā)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• prabhum: the lord
• prabhum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• mṛttikā-grahaṇam: taking of clay
• mṛttikā-grahaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛttikā (प्रातिपदिक) + grahaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (mṛttikāyāḥ grahaṇam)

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन

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

• āyatane: in the abode/temple
• āyatane: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyatana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• śubhe: auspicious
• śubhe: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; ‘āyatane’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from narrative flow in Adhyāya 228)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Biladvāra (context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Not stated)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of venerable sages in matted hair and simple garments serve the reclining Lord; one sage reverently gathers a pinch of sacred clay from within the temple precinct, placing it in a leaf-cup.

Characters & Entities

• Munis (sages)
• Prabhu (the Lord)
• Āyatana (shrine)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places preserve ritual lineages: sages model service (sevā) and purity-practices within the deity’s shrine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse points to an auspicious āyatana (shrine) of the Lord in this Tīrthamāhātmya, without naming the exact tirtha in the line itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mṛttikā-grahaṇa—taking sacred earth/clay from the holy precinct as part of observance.