Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

राजोवाच । शत्रुभिः परिभूतोऽहं समतान्मुनिसत्तम । ततो राज्यपरिभ्रंशात्संप्राप्तोऽत्र महागिरौ

Transliteration

rājovāca | śatrubhiḥ paribhūto'haṃ samatānmunisattama | tato rājyaparibhraṃśātsaṃprāpto'tra mahāgirau

Translation

Der König sprach: „O Bester der Weisen, von allen Seiten bin ich von Feinden bedrängt worden. Dann, meines Reiches beraubt, bin ich hierher zu diesem großen Berge gelangt.“

Word by Word

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (क्रिया/Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• शत्रुभिः: by enemies
• शत्रुभिः: Kartr/Instrument (कर्ता/करण—agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत्रु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• परिभूतः: overpowered/defeated
• परिभूतः: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate—was overpowered)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि+भू (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject—patient in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• समातात्: from being overcome (i.e., due to being surpassed)
• समातात्: Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+आ+तॄ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle) from समातॄ/समातृ (to cross/overcome); पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; हेतौ/कारणे

• मुनिसत्तम: O best of sages
• मुनिसत्तम: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मुनिनां सत्तमः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• ततः: therefore/then
• ततः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय/तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (from that/therefore)

• राज्यपरिभ्रंशात्: from the loss of the kingdom
• राज्यपरिभ्रंशात्: Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक) + परि+भ्रंश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (राज्यस्य परिभ्रंशः); पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• संप्राप्तः: have arrived
• संप्राप्तः: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate—have come)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+प्र+आप् (धातु) + क्त
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (here)

• महागिरौ: on the great mountain
• महागिरौ: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Locative—place)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महागिरि (प्रातिपदिक: महा+गिरि)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

Speaker

King (unnamed in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahāgiri (implied)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king, unarmed or lightly armed, speaks with strained dignity before Nārada, gesturing toward the looming mountain—symbol of both refuge and ordeal.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly power is unstable; adversity can redirect a ruler toward sacred places and dharmic counsel.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A “great mountain” (mahāgiri) is referenced, indicating a sacred landscape; the exact mountain/tīrtha name is not stated in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse sets up the king’s approach to a sage within a tīrtha-māhātmya narrative.