Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

हंसबर्हिण जुष्टेषु संसेव्येष्वप्सरोगणैः । गन्धर्वैर्गीयमानाश्च स्तूयमानाश्च गुह्यकैः

Transliteration

haṃsabarhiṇa juṣṭeṣu saṃsevyeṣvapsarogaṇaiḥ | gandharvairgīyamānāśca stūyamānāśca guhyakaiḥ

Translation

„An Stätten, die von Schwänen und Pfauen besucht werden, von Scharen der Apsaras umsorgt, von Gandharvas besungen und von den Guhyakas gepriesen, verweilen wir in Ehren.“

Word by Word

• haṃsa-barhiṇa: by swans and peacocks
• haṃsa-barhiṇa: Karana (Instrument/agent in passive sense/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: haṃsa (प्रातिपदिक) + barhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समासः (haṃsa + barhin ‘peacock’); पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental), एकवचनम्; ‘-ṇa’ = instr. sg. of barhin; विशेषण-प्रयोगः (juṣṭeṣu)

• juṣṭeṣu: in (places) frequented
• juṣṭeṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: juṣṭa (कृदन्त; √juṣ (धातु) क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘frequented/inhabited’

• saṃsevyeṣu: in (places) to be resorted to
• saṃsevyeṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃsevya (कृदन्त; sam-√sev (धातु) + यत्/ण्यत् (gerundive))
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; विधेय-भावे ‘to be resorted to/fit to be served’

• apsarogaṇaiḥ: by groups of Apsarases
• apsarogaṇaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/agent in passive sense/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apsaras (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: apsarasām gaṇaḥ); पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• gandharvaiḥ: by Gandharvas
• gandharvaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/agent in passive sense/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandharva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• gīyamānāḥ: being sung (of)
• gīyamānāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gīyamāna (कृदन्त; √gai (धातु) कर्मणि-प्रयोगे शानच्/मान)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; वर्तमान-कर्मणि कृदन्तः (being sung)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपातः (conjunction)

• stūyamānāḥ: being praised
• stūyamānāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: stūyamāna (कृदन्त; √stu (धातु) कर्मणि-प्रयोगे शानच्/मान)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; वर्तमान-कर्मणि कृदन्तः (being praised)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपातः

• guhyakaiḥ: by Guhyakas
• guhyakaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/agent in passive sense/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guhyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Pitṛs

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celestial lakeside or pleasure-grove: swans glide on lotus waters, peacocks perch on flowering trees; apsarases attend the honored souls; gandharvas sing with vīṇā; guhykas stand as jeweled guardians offering praise.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Apsarases
• Gandharvas
• Guhyakas
• Haṃsa (swans)
• Peacocks

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Pitṛs are depicted as honored, celebrated beings—showing the spiritual weight of ancestral lineage and its veneration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified here; the verse provides celestial context rather than a named terrestrial tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it supports the motivation for Pitṛ worship by illustrating their exalted standing.