Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तौ दृष्ट्वा स्मरदूती सा विललाप मृगेक्षणा । तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तस्याः प्रोचतुस्तां च तावुभौ

Transliteration

tau dṛṣṭvā smaradūtī sā vilalāpa mṛgekṣaṇā | tacchrutvā vacanaṃ tasyāḥ procatustāṃ ca tāvubhau

Translation

Als sie die beiden erblickte, brach das rehaugige Mädchen—gleich einer Botin des Kāma—in Klage aus. Als sie ihre Worte vernahmen, sprachen beide zu ihr.

Word by Word

• tau: those two
• tau: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्विवचन, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative) / द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); अत्र कर्मरूपे (दृष्ट्वा) द्वितीया-द्विवचन

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), ‘having seen’

• smara-dūtī: Cupid’s messenger (female)
• smara-dūtī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: smara (प्रातिपदिक) + dūtī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (smarasya dūtī)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• vilalāpa: lamented
• vilalāpa: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: lap (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• mṛga-īkṣaṇā: deer-eyed
• mṛga-īkṣaṇā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛga (प्रातिपदिक) + īkṣaṇa/īkṣaṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘mṛga-īkṣaṇā’ = ‘deer-eyed’)

• tat: that
• tat: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; (श्रुत्वा इत्यस्य कर्म)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), ‘having heard’

• vacanam: speech, words
• vacanam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• procatūḥ: they two said
• procatūḥ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन; परस्मैपद; प्र-उपसर्ग

• tām: to her / her
• tām: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tau: those two
• tau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन

• ubhau: both
• ubhau: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A doe-eyed maiden, likened to Kāma’s messenger, laments upon seeing two ascetic figures; the two turn toward her, attentive to her words.

Characters & Entities

• Smaradūtī (metaphor)
• Kandarpa/Kāma (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma responds to distress: sincere lament and appeal becomes the occasion for righteous protectors to intervene.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya frame; the immediate verse does not name a specific tīrtha, but the surrounding adhyāya belongs to a sacred-place glorification context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this śloka; it is narrative setup.