Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

नरो वा यदि वा नारी चमत्कारपुरं प्रति । यो गच्छति धरापृष्ठे युष्माभिर्वार्य एव सः

Transliteration

naro vā yadi vā nārī camatkārapuraṃ prati | yo gacchati dharāpṛṣṭhe yuṣmābhirvārya eva saḥ

Translation

Ob Mann oder Frau — wer immer auf Erden nach Camatkārapura aufbricht, den müsst ihr gewiss aufhalten.

Word by Word

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha/Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: “or”)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha/Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional: “if”)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha/Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: “or”)

• नारी: a woman
• नारी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• चमत्कारपुरम्: to the city of Camatkāra
• चमत्कारपुरम्: Karma (कर्म) / Gati-karman (destination)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चमत्कार-पुर (प्रातिपदिक; घटक: चमत्कार + पुर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: “wonder’s city”)

• प्रति: towards
• प्रति: Direction (दिक्/गति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग/अव्यय (preposition-like: “towards”)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• गच्छति: goes
• गच्छति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• धरापृष्ठे: on the surface of the earth
• धरापृष्ठे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरा-पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; घटक: धरा + पृष्ठ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (“earth’s surface”)

• युष्माभिः: by you (all)
• युष्माभिः: Karana (करण) / Agent-instrument
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन; 2nd person pronoun

• वार्यः: to be restrained/forbidden
• वार्यः: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वार्य (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-भाव: √वृ ‘to restrain/choose’ → वार्य ‘to be restrained/forbidden’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative adjective)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle: “indeed/only”)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun)

Speaker

Sahasrākṣa (Indra) (deduced: he ‘spoke in secret’ in 13.36 and issues commands here)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Camatkārapura

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Divine or semi-divine agents stationed on earth, intercepting pilgrims—men and women—who set out toward Camatkārapura; the road to a sacred city feels guarded and ominously restricted.

Characters & Entities

• Sahasrākṣa (Indra)
• Camatkārapura

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a powerful tīrtha may face resistance from inner and outer obstacles; perseverance becomes part of the dharmic journey.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Camatkārapura, connected in this section with the approach to Acaleśvara-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an injunction within the story—an attempted prevention of pilgrimage.