Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

ये तत्र तापसाः केचित्तटे तस्या व्यवस्थिताः । ते सर्वेऽपि च तां त्यक्ता दूरदेशं समाश्रिताः

Transliteration

ye tatra tāpasāḥ kecittaṭe tasyā vyavasthitāḥ | te sarve'pi ca tāṃ tyaktā dūradeśaṃ samāśritāḥ

Translation

যে ক’জন তপস্বী সেখানে তার তটে অবস্থান করতেন, তারা সকলেই সেই স্থান ত্যাগ করে দূর দেশে আশ্রয় নিলেন।

Word by Word

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject of relative clause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Adverbial location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: there)

• तापसाः: ascetics
• तापसाः: Karta (Subject apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक (indefinite: some)

• तटे: on the bank
• तटे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन

• तस्याः: of her/of it
• तस्याः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन

• व्यवस्थिताः: were stationed/standing
• व्यवस्थिताः: Kriya (Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + अव + स्था (धातु) → व्यवस्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन; ‘स्थिताः’ अर्थे

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन; मुख्यवाक्ये कर्तृपदम्

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन; ते इति विशेषण

• अपि: also
• अपि: Nipata (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि = ‘also/even’

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• त्यक्ताः: having abandoned
• त्यक्ताः: Kriya (Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु) → त्यक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन; ‘त्यक्तवन्तः’ अर्थे

• दूरदेशम्: a far country/place
• दूरदेशम्: Karma (Goal as object of motion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दूर (प्रातिपदिक) + देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (कर्मधारयः: दूरः देशः); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• समाश्रिताः: took refuge/resorted (to)
• समाश्रिताः: Kriya (Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + श्रि (धातु) → समाश्रित (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन; ‘आश्रितवन्तः’ अर्थे

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sārasvata-jala taṭa

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Hermits gather their few belongings, turn away from the once-holy bank, and walk toward distant lands, leaving empty huts and silent altars behind.

Characters & Entities

• Tāpasas (ascetics)
• River/tīrtha bank (Sārasvata context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even holy dwellers withdraw when a site becomes spiritually disturbed—teaching discernment (viveka) alongside devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The banks of the Sārasvata waters/tīrtha (the ‘her bank’ refers to the sacred river/water-body in context).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it reports the ascetics’ departure due to adverse circumstances.