Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

देवा ऊचुः । देवकृत्यं मुनिश्रेष्ठ भवता ह्युपपादितम् । तस्मात्प्रार्थय चित्तस्थं वरं सर्वं मुनीश्वर

Transliteration

devā ūcuḥ | devakṛtyaṃ muniśreṣṭha bhavatā hyupapāditam | tasmātprārthaya cittasthaṃ varaṃ sarvaṃ munīśvara

Translation

Die Götter sprachen: „O Bester der Weisen, du hast wahrlich das Werk der Götter vollbracht. Darum, o Herr unter den Munis, erbitte jede Gabe, die dein Herz begehrt.“

Word by Word

• devāḥ: the gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• deva-kṛtyam: the duty/work for the gods
• deva-kṛtyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानां कृत्यम्)

• muni-śreṣṭha: O best of sages
• muni-śreṣṭha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मुनीनां श्रेष्ठः)

• bhavatā: by you
• bhavatā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय

• upapāditam: has been accomplished/established
• upapāditam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa + √pad (धातु) (उपपादित-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu/Reason (कारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-इत्यव्ययप्रयोग (ablative used adverbially: 'therefore/from that')

• prārthaya: request/ask (you)
• prārthaya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + √arth (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• citta-stham: situated in (your) mind
• citta-stham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: citta (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (चित्ते स्थितम्)

• varam: a boon
• varam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• sarvam: entire/any (boon)
• sarvam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; वरम् इति पदस्य विशेषणम्

• muni-īśvara: O lord of sages
• muni-īśvara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मुनीनां ईश्वरः)

Speaker

Devas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Camatkārapura-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celestial assembly of devas addressing a seated sage (Agastya), offering him a boon after he completes a divine mission; aura of mantra-fire and sanctified landscape hinted in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Agastya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Service to cosmic order (loka-saṃgraha) is honored; righteous action naturally culminates in divine favor and blessings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of the ocean–Agastya–Gaṅgā tīrtha narrative arc; the tīrtha praise is implicit in the surrounding māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a boon-offering scene.