Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । तच्छ्रुत्वा सत्वरं शक्रः सर्वैर्दैवगणैः सह । जगाम पुष्करारण्ये यत्र प्राची सरस्वती

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | tacchrutvā satvaraṃ śakraḥ sarvairdaivagaṇaiḥ saha | jagāma puṣkarāraṇye yatra prācī sarasvatī

Translation

Sūta sprach: Als Śakra dies vernahm, eilte er sogleich, zusammen mit allen Scharen der Götter, in den Puṣkara-Wald, wo die ostwärts fließende Sarasvatī ist.

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta (the narrator)
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्णभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Perfect, 3rd person singular)

• tat: that (statement/event)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/absolutive: having heard)

• satvaram: quickly, in haste
• satvaram: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: satvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb)

• śakraḥ: Śakra (Indra)
• śakraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• sarvaiḥ: with all
• sarvaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (Masculine, Instrumental, Plural)

• daiva-gaṇaiḥ: with the hosts of gods
• daiva-gaṇaiḥ: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daiva (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (groups of gods; instrumental plural)

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक उपसर्गसदृश (indeclinable: 'together with')

• jagāma: went
• jagāma: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Perfect, 3rd person singular)

• puṣkara-araṇye: in the Puṣkara forest
• puṣkara-araṇye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣkara (प्रातिपदिक) + araṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (Locative singular: 'in the Puṣkara forest')

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक/देशवाचक (relative adverb: where)

• prācī: eastern-flowing / to the east
• prācī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prācī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• sarasvatī: Sarasvatī (river/goddess)
• sarasvatī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara-āraṇya / Prācī Sarasvatī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame typical; not explicit in verse but consistent with ‘Sūta uvāca’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates as Indra, accompanied by hosts of gods, rushes toward Puṣkara forest; a sacred river-stream (Prācī Sarasvatī) glints through the trees, guiding the procession.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Śakra (Indra)
• Daivagaṇa (gods)
• Puṣkara-araṇya
• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places draw even the gods; tīrthas are portrayed as living centers where divine purposes are fulfilled through dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara-araṇya and the prācī Sarasvatī associated with the Puṣkara tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it establishes pilgrimage-movement toward the tīrtha.