Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

ततः प्रक्षाल्य सर्वेषां पादान्स पृथिवीपतिः । सत्यसंधो ददौ तेभ्यः पुरार्थं भूमिमुत्तमाम्

Transliteration

tataḥ prakṣālya sarveṣāṃ pādānsa pṛthivīpatiḥ | satyasaṃdho dadau tebhyaḥ purārthaṃ bhūmimuttamām

Translation

Dann wusch der Herr der Erde, Satyasaṃdha, allen die Füße und verlieh ihnen vortreffliches Land zum Zwecke, eine Stadt zu gründen.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): 'then'

• prakṣālya: having washed
• prakṣālya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-kṣāl (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund): 'having washed'

• sarveṣām: of all (of them)
• sarveṣām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• pādān: feet
• pādān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• pṛthivīpatiḥ: lord of the earth, king
• pṛthivīpatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthivī + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पृथिव्याः पतिः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• satyasaṃdhaḥ: true to his promise
• satyasaṃdhaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: satya + saṃdha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सत्ये संधः/सत्यसंधः = truth-bound); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying pṛthivīpatiḥ)

• dadau: gave
• dadau: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tebhyaḥ: to them
• tebhyaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), बहुवचन

• purārtham: for (building) a city
• purārtham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pura + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पुरार्थम् = पुरस्य अर्थम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोग (for the purpose of a city)

• bhūmim: land
• bhūmim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• uttamām: excellent, best
• uttamām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttamā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying bhūmim)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king kneels to wash the feet of brāhmaṇas seated in a row; a water vessel and towel are visible; afterward he presents a land-grant symbol (scroll/earth clod).

Characters & Entities

• Satyasaṃdha
• brāhmaṇas (implied recipients)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Honoring the righteous with humility and giving resources for dharmic living is praised as an ideal royal virtue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the larger sacred-geography account in Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya connected with Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Hospitality (pādaprakṣālana—washing the feet) and dāna (granting land) are highlighted as dharmic observances.