Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । धुंधुमारो महीपालः कस्मिन्वंशे बभूव सः । कस्मिन्काले तपस्तप्तं तेनात्र सुमहात्मना

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | dhuṃdhumāro mahīpālaḥ kasminvaṃśe babhūva saḥ | kasminkāle tapastaptaṃ tenātra sumahātmanā

Translation

Die Weisen sprachen: „König Dhundhumāra — aus welchem Geschlecht stammte er? Und in welcher Zeit übte jener Großgesinnte hier Askese?“

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• धुंधुमारः: Dhuṃdhumāra
• धुंधुमारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धुंधुमार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• महीपालः: king, protector of the earth
• महीपालः: Apposition (समाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही + पाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मही-पालः = 'earth-protector')

• कस्मिन्: in which
• कस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• वंशे: dynasty, lineage
• वंशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वंश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• बभूव: became/was born
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कस्मिन्: in which
• कस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• काले: time
• काले: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• तप्तम्: performed (done)
• तप्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रियाविशेषण-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थं (tapas 'performed')

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• सुमहात्मना: by the very great-souled (one)
• सुमहात्मना: Kartr-karana (Agent in instrumental/कर्तृ-तृतीया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सु-महात्मा = 'very great-souled')

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest hermitage assembly: seated sages with matted hair and bark garments question the narrator about King Dhundhumāra’s lineage and the time of his austerities at the sacred place.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Dhundhumāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage traditions preserve sacred history: knowing the lineage and time of a devotee-king contextualizes the power of a holy place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The inquiry concerns the origin story of the Dhundhumāreśvara kṣetra described in Adhyāya 38.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is a narrative prompt asking about the king’s tapas and historical setting.