Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

ततोऽगस्त्यः कथाश्चित्राश्चक्रे तस्य पुरस्तदा । राजर्षीणां पुराणानां दृष्टांतैर्बहुभिर्मुनिः

Transliteration

tato'gastyaḥ kathāścitrāścakre tasya purastadā | rājarṣīṇāṃ purāṇānāṃ dṛṣṭāṃtairbahubhirmuniḥ

Translation

Dann erzählte der Weise Agastya vor ihm wunderbare Geschichten und veranschaulichte sie mit vielen Beispielen aus alten Überlieferungen der Rājarṣis (Königsseher).

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक)

• अगस्त्यः: Agastya
• अगस्त्यः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative singular)

• कथाः: stories
• कथाः: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (accusative plural)

• चित्राः: wonderful/varied
• चित्राः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (accusative plural); विशेषणम् कथाः प्रति

• चक्रे: made/composed
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (आत्मनेपद) = perfect; प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive singular)

• पुरः: in front (of him)
• पुरः: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरस् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक) = ‘in front (of)’; here governing genitive ‘तस्य’

• तदा: at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) = ‘then/at that time’

• राजर्षीणाम्: of royal sages
• राजर्षीणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजर्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (genitive plural)

• पुराणानाम्: of ancient (accounts)
• पुराणानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (genitive plural)

• दृष्टान्तैः: with examples
• दृष्टान्तैः: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दृष्टान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (instrumental plural)

• बहुभिः: many
• बहुभिः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (instrumental plural); विशेषणम् दृष्टान्तैः प्रति

• मुनिः: the sage
• मुनिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative singular); apposition to ‘अगस्त्यः’

Speaker

Unspecified narrator within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ‘Tasya’—the addressed hero (contextually Rāma/Raghūttama) and the assembly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya sits before the hero and narrates ‘citra-kathā’ with illustrative examples of royal seers; listeners are attentive, the atmosphere scholarly yet wondrous.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Rājarṣi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sages teach dharma through illustrative histories; exemplars (rājarṣis) model righteous conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The āśrama-tīrtha is highlighted as a place of instruction where Purāṇic wisdom is transmitted.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the implied sādhana is śravaṇa (listening) to dharma-kathā from a sage.