Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

आनर्त उवाच । कस्मिन्काले तु ते विप्राः शक्रे णात्र प्रतिष्ठिताः । किमर्थं च वदास्माकं विस्तरेण महामते

Transliteration

ānarta uvāca | kasminkāle tu te viprāḥ śakre ṇātra pratiṣṭhitāḥ | kimarthaṃ ca vadāsmākaṃ vistareṇa mahāmate

Translation

Ānarta sprach: „Zu welcher Zeit hat Śakra (Indra) jene Brāhmaṇas hier eingesetzt? Und aus welchem Grund? Berichte es uns ausführlich, o Großgesinnter.“

Word by Word

• आनर्तः: Ānarta
• आनर्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ānarta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• कस्मिन्: in which?
• कस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• काले: time
• काले: Adhikarana (Time-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• तु: indeed; then
• तु: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्न/विरोध-न्यास (indeed/but)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• विप्राः: Brahmins
• विप्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• शक्रे: in/at Śakra (Indra) / in relation to Indra
• शक्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb: here)

• प्रतिष्ठिताः: were established/installed
• प्रतिष्ठिताः: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• किमर्थम्: why; for what purpose
• किमर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक अव्यय (interrogative adverb): 'कस्य अर्थः' → 'for what purpose/why'

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (and)

• वद: tell/say
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अस्माकम्: to us / of us
• अस्माकम्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• विस्तरेण: in detail
• विस्तरेण: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial instrumental)

• महामते: O great-minded one
• महामते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-mati (प्रातिपदिक: महा + मति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: 'महती मतिः यस्य' (as address)

Speaker

Ānarta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viśvāmitra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ānarta leans forward in respectful inquiry before Viśvāmitra, requesting the full account—an origin-story threshold moment with attentive disciples around.

Characters & Entities

• Ānarta
• Śakra
• Indra
• Vipra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred history is preserved through inquiry and detailed transmission, linking community identity to divine acts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse says ‘here’ (atra) but does not name a specific tīrtha in the line provided.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it requests an explanation of an earlier ‘pratiṣṭhā’ (establishment) by Śakra.