Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

कृतांजलिपुटो भूत्वा ततस्तान्प्राह सादरम् । यद्भूमौ तु मया तीर्थं पुष्करं संनिवेशितम्

Transliteration

kṛtāṃjalipuṭo bhūtvā tatastānprāha sādaram | yadbhūmau tu mayā tīrthaṃ puṣkaraṃ saṃniveśitam

Translation

Darauf, die Hände ehrfürchtig gefaltet, sprach er sie respektvoll an: „Auf dieser Erde selbst habe ich die heilige Tīrtha namens Puṣkara gegründet.“

Word by Word

• कृताञ्जलिपुटः: with hands folded
• कृताञ्जलिपुटः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + अञ्जलि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण; ‘अञ्जलि-पुट’ (folded hands) + ‘कृत’ (made) = having made a folded-hand gesture

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययभाव/gerund), ‘having become/being’

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = thereafter

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्राह: said
• प्राह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आह्/अह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; √अह्/आह् ‘to say’ with उपसर्ग प्र-

• सादरम्: respectfully
• सादरम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स-आदर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = accusative used adverbially; ‘with respect’

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• भूमौ: on the earth/ground
• भूमौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/अवधारण/particle)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/Agentive-instr/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• पुष्करम्: Puṣkara
• पुष्करम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तीर्थस्य विशेषण/नाम (apposition)

• संनिवेशितम्: established/placed
• संनिवेशितम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-नि-विश् (धातु)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘placed/established’

Speaker

Brahmā (implied by continuation in 190.11 “brahmovāca”)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The patron stands with añjali, addressing an assembly of brāhmaṇas; behind him a newly marked tīrtha—steps to water, a small shrine, and a boundary line of sacred posts—suggesting consecration of ‘Puṣkara’.

Characters & Entities

• Puṣkara
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence (añjali) and humility accompany the revelation of a tīrtha’s divine origin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara tīrtha, presented as established on earth by a divine agency (Brahmā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; the verse introduces the establishment of the tīrtha.