Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

समाकुलितचित्तास्ते नृपमामं समाययुः । कान्यकुब्जस्थितं शूरं पाखण्डैः परिवेष्टितम्

Transliteration

samākulitacittāste nṛpamāmaṃ samāyayuḥ | kānyakubjasthitaṃ śūraṃ pākhaṇḍaiḥ pariveṣṭitam

Translation

Mit aufgewühltem Geist traten sie vor den König, der in Kānyakubja weilte; obgleich tapfer, war er ringsum von häretischen Sektierern umstellt.

Word by Word

• समाकुलितचित्ताः: having agitated minds
• समाकुलितचित्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समाकुलित (कृदन्त; √कुल्/कुलय्) + चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (adjective) — “समाकुलितं चित्तं येषाम्”

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• नृपम्: the king
• नृपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• आमम्: raw/uncultured (as an epithet)
• आमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (नृपम् इति)

• समाययुः: they approached
• समाययुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-√या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• कान्यकुब्जस्थितम्: situated in Kānyakubja
• कान्यकुब्जस्थितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कान्यकुब्ज (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थित (कृदन्त; √स्था)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (शूरम् इति); सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः — “कान्यकुब्जे स्थितम्”

• शूरम्: the hero/brave one
• शूरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• पाखण्डैः: by heretics/sectarians
• पाखण्डैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाखण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• परिवेष्टितम्: surrounded/encircled
• परिवेष्टितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि-√वेष्ट् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (शूरम् इति)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator continuing the story)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kānyakubja (Gaṅgā-taṭa vicinity)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king addressed as ‘nṛpa’ in the section’s frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of distressed brāhmaṇas approaches a valiant king seated in Kānyakubja, while sectarian figures crowd around him, visually ‘encircling’ the throne and darkening the court’s atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Kānyakubja
• nṛpa (king)
• pākhaṇḍa (sectarians)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharma is threatened, the righteous should seek lawful protection and speak truthfully to restore moral order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kānyakubja is named as the king’s seat in this episode; the broader context remains Dharmāraṇya’s sacred narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed in this verse; it sets the scene for a dharmic appeal to royal authority.