Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । विश्वेदेवा गताः शक्र श्राद्धे पैतामहेऽधुना । गयायां ते मया दृष्टा गच्छमानाः प्रहर्षिताः

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | viśvedevā gatāḥ śakra śrāddhe paitāmahe'dhunā | gayāyāṃ te mayā dṛṣṭā gacchamānāḥ praharṣitāḥ

Translation

Nārada sprach: „O Śakra, die Viśvedevas sind jetzt zum Śrāddha des Pitāmaha gegangen. In Gayā sah ich sie, wie sie freudig aufbrachen.“

Word by Word

• nāradaḥ: Nārada
• nāradaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (उवाच इति कर्ता)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘उवाच’

• viśvedevāḥ: the Viśvedevas
• viśvedevāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśve (प्रातिपदिक) + devā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• gatāḥ: have gone
• gatāḥ: Kriya (Predicate action/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √gam)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP) — ‘गताः’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (viśvedevāḥ इत्यस्य विधेय)

• śakra: O Śakra
• śakra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन — ‘शक्र’

• śrāddhe: in the śrāddha
• śrāddhe: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• paitāmahe: ancestral, of the forefathers
• paitāmahe: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — ‘पैतामहे’ (pertaining to Pitāmaha/ancestral); śrāddhe इति विशेषण

• adhunā: now
• adhunā: Kriya-viseshana (Time adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adhunā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time) — ‘अधुना’ = now

• gayāyām: in Gayā
• gayāyām: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — ‘गयायाम्’

• te: your
• te: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन — ‘ते’ (your)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन — ‘मया’

• dṛṣṭāḥ: were seen
• dṛṣṭāḥ: Kriya (Predicate action/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √dṛś)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP) — ‘दृष्टाः’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (viśvedevāḥ इत्यस्य विधेय)

• gacchamānāḥ: going
• gacchamānāḥ: Kriya-viseshana (Participial qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gacchat (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √gam)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle) — ‘गच्छमानाः’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• praharṣitāḥ: delighted
• praharṣitāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: praharṣita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √hṛṣ + pra)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP) — ‘प्रहर्षिताः’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gayā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śakra (Indra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada reports seeing the Viśvedevas at Gayā, joyfully proceeding to Pitāmaha’s śrāddha; the scene can juxtapose Nārada’s speaking figure with a visionary vignette of Gayā’s riverbank rites.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Śakra (Indra)
• Viśvedevas
• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• Gayā
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gayā is portrayed as so meritorious that even divine collectives prioritize rites connected with ancestors there.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayā is explicitly glorified as the place where Nārada sees the Viśvedevas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrāddha linked with Pitāmaha (Brahmā) is referenced, underscoring the primacy of proper śrāddha observance.