Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । आसीत्पुरा निंबशुचो वैदिशे च पुरोत्तमे

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | āsītpurā niṃbaśuco vaidiśe ca purottame

Translation

সূত ক’লে: পূৰ্বে, বৈদিশা নামৰ উত্তম নগৰত নীম্বশুচা নামৰ এজন পুৰুষ বাস কৰিছিল।

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• आसीत्: there was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• निंबशुचः: Nimbaśuci (a person)
• निंबशुचः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निंबशुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषनाम (proper name)

• वैदिशे: in Vaidisha (region/city)
• वैदिशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैदिश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (देशवाचक), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• पुरोत्तमे: in the excellent city
• पुरोत्तमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारयार्थे रूढ (‘उत्तमं पुरम्’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta-narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vidiśā (as narrative locus)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta begins the tale by pointing to the famed city of Vidiśā, evoking an ancient urban landscape where the protagonist Nimbaśuca lived.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Vidiśā
• Nimbaśuca

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It introduces a dharma-narrative set in a sacred geography, preparing for a moral account of conduct and consequence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting points to the Vidiśā region within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework, where tīrtha-glory narratives unfold.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a narrative opening identifying the speaker, place, and character.