Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु दशार्णाधिपतिस्तदा । रत्नवत्या विवाहार्थं तत्र स्थाने समागतः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | etasminneva kāle tu daśārṇādhipatistadā | ratnavatyā vivāhārthaṃ tatra sthāne samāgataḥ

Translation

Sūta sprach: Genau zu jener Zeit kam der Herrscher von Daśārṇa an jenen Ort, da er gekommen war, um Ratnavatī zur Ehe zu nehmen.

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• etasmin: in this
• etasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेष्य—‘काले’ (in this)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• kāle: at the time
• kāle: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे (time-locative)

• tu: but/then
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयार्थक-निपात (but/indeed)

• daśārṇādhipatiḥ: the ruler of Daśārṇa
• daśārṇādhipatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśārṇa-adhipati (प्रातिपदिक; दशार्ण + अधिपति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• ratnavatyāḥ: of Ratnavatī
• ratnavatyāḥ: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratnavatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (genitive)

• vivāhārtham: for marriage
• vivāhārtham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vivāha-artha (प्रातिपदिक; विवाह + अर्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थे (accusative of purpose)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• sthāne: at the place
• sthāne: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• samāgataḥ: arrived
• samāgataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे (having come/arrived)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (Śaunaka-led assembly; implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king of Daśārṇa arrives at the sacred locale with a wedding entourage—chariots, banners, musicians—approaching a shrine/kshetra precinct where sages and locals gather.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Daśārṇādhipati (King of Daśārṇa)
• Ratnavatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It sets the dharmic narrative context: major life-rites (like marriage) unfold within sacred spaces, linking human duty to tīrtha-oriented merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse refers to “that place” within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya setting; the specific tīrtha name is not stated in this single shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a narrative transition introducing the arrival for a marriage rite.