Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एतद्वः सर्वमाख्यातमष्टषष्टिसमुद्भवम् । समुच्चयं द्विजश्रेष्ठा नामदेवसमन्वितम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | etadvaḥ sarvamākhyātamaṣṭaṣaṣṭisamudbhavam | samuccayaṃ dvijaśreṣṭhā nāmadevasamanvitam

Translation

সূতে ক’লে: “হে দ্বিজশ্ৰেষ্ঠসকল, মই তোমালোকক এই সকলো সম্পূৰ্ণকৈ ক’লোঁ—আঠষষ্ঠিৰ পৰা উদ্ভূত এই সংকলন, দেৱনামসমন্বিত।”

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• वः: to you (all)
• वः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-बहुवचनरूप (Genitive/Dative plural enclitic); अत्र चतुर्थी (to you) अधिकयुक्ता

• सर्वम्: all/entire
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (एतत्)

• आख्यातम्: told/explained
• आख्यातम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + ख्या (धातु) → आख्यात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• अष्टषष्टिसमुद्भवम्: arising from sixty-eight
• अष्टषष्टिसमुद्भवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टषष्टि + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘अष्टषष्टेः समुद्भवः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• समुच्चयम्: collection/compendium
• समुच्चयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुच्चय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), बहुवचन; ‘द्विजानां श्रेष्ठाः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• नामदेवसमन्वितम्: accompanied by (the name) Nāmadeva
• नामदेवसमन्वितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नामदेव + समन्वित (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘नामदेवेन समन्वितम्’ इति तृतीया-तत्पुरुष; समन्वित = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त from सम्+अन्वि/अन्वय (to be connected)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūtanarrator)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-śreṣṭhas (assembled brāhmaṇas/sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta addresses an audience of brāhmaṇas, announcing he has narrated a compiled collection tied to sixty-eight tīrthas and divine names—an oral-textual transmission scene.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Dvijaśreṣṭhas (sages/brāhmaṇas)
• Aṣṭaṣaṣṭi (Sixty-eight tīrthas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching is transmitted as a structured compendium: remembering divine names and tīrtha-glories is itself a devotional practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions as a summary of the sixty-eight tīrthas within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra narrative rather than praising one site alone.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit prescription: śravaṇa (hearing) and adhyayana (study) of the māhātmya, especially with attention to divine names.