Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

ततश्चक्रुः कथा दिव्या मुनयस्ते महीपतेः । पुरतो मुनिमुख्यानां चरितानि महात्मनाम्

Transliteration

tataścakruḥ kathā divyā munayaste mahīpateḥ | purato munimukhyānāṃ caritāni mahātmanām

Translation

Daraufhin erzählten jene Weisen dem König göttliche Geschichten – Berichte über Leben und Taten großer Seelen, der Vornehmsten unter den Asketen.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/अनुक्रम (adverb: 'then')

• cakruḥ: made / performed
• cakruḥ: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• kathāḥ: stories / narrations
• kathāḥ: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन

• divyāḥ: divine
• divyāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• munayaḥ: sages
• munayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• te: those
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• mahīpateḥ: of the king
• mahīpateḥ: Sambandha (Possessor/Relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• purataḥ: in front of
• purataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb: 'in front of')

• munimukhyānām: of the chief sages
• munimukhyānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + mukhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास ('munīnāṃ mukhyāḥ'); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• caritāni: deeds / exploits
• caritāni: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: carita (प्रातिपदिक; √car + kta)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• mahātmanām: of the great-souled ones
• mahātmanām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास ('mahāntaḥ ātmānaḥ'); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta (narration context; speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: अनिर्दिष्ट-तīrtha-kṣetra (Nāgarakhaṇḍa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The king (mahīpati)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages seated in a semicircle narrate luminous stories; the king listens attentively; subtle divine imagery—visions of past mahātmas—appears as vignettes or aura-like scenes above the assembly.

Characters & Entities

• muni
• mahīpati
• mahātmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing dharmic narratives from realized sages is a sacred act that refines the listener and deepens the merit of pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the chapter’s kṣetra; the verse highlights the kṣetra as a place where divine kathā is heard.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (listening to sacred accounts) is implied as a devotional discipline, though not stated as a formal vow.