Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

इति ते कथितं सर्वं यथाप्रकृतिसंभवम् । कथां शृणु महापुण्यां शूद्रः शुद्धिमगाद्यथा

Transliteration

iti te kathitaṃ sarvaṃ yathāprakṛtisaṃbhavam | kathāṃ śṛṇu mahāpuṇyāṃ śūdraḥ śuddhimagādyathā

Translation

So habe ich dir alles dargelegt, wie es aus jeder Veranlagung hervorgeht. Nun höre eine höchst verdienstvolle Erzählung: wie ein Śūdra Reinheit erlangte.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kathitam: told/related
• kathitam: Karma/Predicate (कर्म/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kathita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kath (कथ्) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• yathā: according to
• yathā: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (as/according to)

• prakṛti: nature/constitution
• prakṛti: Sambandha (Genitive within compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prakṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद)

• saṃbhavam: arising from (one's) nature
• saṃbhavam: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रकृतेः सम्भवम्)

• kathām: story
• kathām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• śṛṇu: hear/listen
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (श्रु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• mahāpuṇyām: very meritorious
• mahāpuṇyām: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महती पुण्या) विशेषणम् (qualifying kathām)

• śūdraḥ: a Śūdra
• śūdraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• śuddhim: purification
• śuddhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śuddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• agāt: attained/went to
• agāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम्)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (aorist), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• yathā: as/how
• yathā: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (how/as)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The speaker concludes a doctrinal exposition and invites the listener into a ‘mahāpuṇyā kathā’ about a Śūdra’s purification—an anticipatory, storytelling threshold moment.

Characters & Entities

• śūdra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual purification is possible through dharmic living and devotion, illustrated through exemplary narratives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya framework within Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated; the verse introduces a puṇya-kathā (meritorious story) about attaining śuddhi (purity).