Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

ततः संशोधयामास तस्य मांसस्य चागमम् । निपुणं सूपकारांस्तान्दृष्ट्वा राजा पृथक्पृथक्

Transliteration

tataḥ saṃśodhayāmāsa tasya māṃsasya cāgamam | nipuṇaṃ sūpakārāṃstāndṛṣṭvā rājā pṛthakpṛthak

Translation

Daraufhin untersuchte der König die Herkunft jenes Fleisches; und als er jene kundigen Köche sah, befragte er sie einzeln, einen nach dem anderen.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb; अर्थे: 'thereupon/then'

• संशोधयामास: he investigated/verified
• संशोधयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+शुध् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद) = Perfect; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); causative sense 'to examine/verify thoroughly' (denominative/causative usage)

• तस्य: of that (it/him)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• मांसस्य: of the meat
• मांसस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक-निपात) = conjunction/particle

• आगमम्: origin/source (coming)
• आगमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• निपुणम्: skilled, expert
• निपुणम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nipuṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• सूपकारान्: cooks
• सूपकारान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūpakāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), बहुवचन

• तान्: those (men)
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), बहुवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) = having seen

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• पृथक्: separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pṛthak (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = adverb; 'separately'

• पृथक्: each one separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pṛthak (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पुनरुक्ति) = reduplicated adverb for emphasis

Speaker

Sūta (implied narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king in a palace hall questions cooks one by one; vessels of food nearby; attendants watch anxiously; the atmosphere suggests an unseen contaminating force.

Characters & Entities

• King
• Cooks (sūpakāra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

After adharma erupts, accountability follows; truth-seeking begins with examining causes and agents.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not mentioned in this verse; it continues the chapter’s narrative within the Tīrthamāhātmya section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse describes inquiry and examination rather than a rite.