Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

आनर्त उवाच । ये दृश्यंते निजाः स्वप्ने चिरात्पितृपितामहाः । प्रार्थयंति निजान्कामांस्ततः किं स्यान्महामुने

Transliteration

ānarta uvāca | ye dṛśyaṃte nijāḥ svapne cirātpitṛpitāmahāḥ | prārthayaṃti nijānkāmāṃstataḥ kiṃ syānmahāmune

Translation

Ānarta sprach: Jene Väter und Großväter, die seit langem dahingegangen sind, die den Ihren im Traum erscheinen und um das Begehren ihres Herzens bitten — was bedeutet dies, o großer Muni?

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen/appear
• दृश्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

• निजाः: one’s own
• निजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘ye’)

• स्वप्ने: in a dream
• स्वप्ने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वप्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• चिरात्: after a long time
• चिरात्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादानार्थे/कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: ‘after a long time’)

• पितृपितामहाः: fathers and grandfathers (ancestors)
• पितृपितामहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• प्रार्थयन्ति: request/beg
• प्रार्थयन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अर्थ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• निजान्: their own
• निजान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘kāmān’)

• कामान्: desires/requests
• कामान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ततः: therefore/from that
• ततः: Hetu/Relation (Cause/connection)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय/तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्-अर्थे (therefore/from that)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• स्यात्: would be/might be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• महामुने: O great sage
• महामुने: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (महान् मुनिः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Ānarta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhartṛyajña

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night scene: a householder asleep; translucent figures of father and grandfather appear, gesturing for offerings; by day, the questioner approaches the sage for interpretation.

Characters & Entities

• Ānarta
• Pitṛ
• Pitāmaha
• Dreams (svapna)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dreams are treated as moral signals within dharma-literature, prompting attention to neglected ancestral duties.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is mentioned in this question-verse; it continues the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya dialogue setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription here; it asks for interpretation of ancestors requesting things in dreams.