Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

अथाऽसौ पृथिवीपालः स्वप्नांते च ददर्श तम् । दिव्यमाल्यांबरधरं दिव्यगंधानुलेपनम् । विमानवरमारूढं स्तूयमानं च किंनरैः

Transliteration

athā'sau pṛthivīpālaḥ svapnāṃte ca dadarśa tam | divyamālyāṃbaradharaṃ divyagaṃdhānulepanam | vimānavaramārūḍhaṃ stūyamānaṃ ca kiṃnaraiḥ

Translation

Da sah der Herrscher der Erde am Ende eines Traumes ihn: geschmückt mit himmlischen Girlanden und Gewändern, gesalbt mit göttlichen Düften, auf einer vortrefflichen Vimāna thronend und von den Kiṁnaras gepriesen.

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरबोधक-अव्यय (then/thereupon)

• asau: that (man), he
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asau (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• pṛthivī-pālaḥ: the king
• pṛthivī-pālaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक) + pāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (protector of the earth)

• svapna-ante: at the end of (his) dream
• svapna-ante: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svapna (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (end of dream)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• divya-mālya-ambara-dharam: wearing divine garlands and garments
• divya-mālya-ambara-dharam: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक) + mālya (प्रातिपदिक) + ambara (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (√dhṛ, ण्वुल्/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (wearer of divine garlands and garments)

• divya-gandha-anulepanam: smeared with divine perfumes
• divya-gandha-anulepanam: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक) + gandha (प्रातिपदिक) + anulepana (anu+√lip, ल्युट्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (anointed with divine fragrance)

• vimāna-vara-ārūḍham: mounted on a splendid vimāna
• vimāna-vara-ārūḍham: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vimāna (प्रातिपदिक) + vara (प्रातिपदिक) + ārūḍha (ā+√ruh, क्त-प्रत्यय कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (mounted on an excellent aerial car)

• stūyamānam: being praised
• stūyamānam: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √stu (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि-प्रयोगे शानच्/मान (present passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• kiṃnaraiḥ: by the kiṃnaras
• kiṃnaraiḥ: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kiṃnara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller; likely Sūta-style narration within Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a liminal dream-space, the king beholds a radiant figure adorned with celestial garlands and garments, fragrant unguents gleaming, seated in a splendid vimāna while Kiṁnaras sing praises around it.

Characters & Entities

• Kiṁnara
• Māṁsāda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas portray visible ‘phala’—divine ascent—as confirmation of śrāddha performed at a powerful tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The vision is the consequence of the Gayāśiras śrāddha described immediately before.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new prescription here; it narrates the spiritual result of the rite.