Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

यदा तन्निर्मितं तत्र पुरं तेन महात्मना । तस्य संरक्षणार्थाय तदा सा स्थापिता द्विजाः

Transliteration

yadā tannirmitaṃ tatra puraṃ tena mahātmanā | tasya saṃrakṣaṇārthāya tadā sā sthāpitā dvijāḥ

Translation

Als jene Stadt dort von jenem Großherzigen erbaut wurde, da—o Zweifachgeborene—wurde sie zur Bewahrung und zum Schutz dieser Stadt eingesetzt.

Word by Word

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kālādhi karaṇa (Temporal connective)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक सम्बन्धबोधक (relative temporal indeclinable: ‘when’)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; ‘पुरम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (that)

• निर्मितम्: built / constructed
• निर्मितम्: Kriyā (Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्मा (धातु; नि+मा ‘माने/निर्माणे’)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; ‘पुरम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (there)

• पुरम्: city
• पुरम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative 2nd); एकवचन

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• महात्मना: by the great-souled one
• महात्मना: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; (तेन इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• तस्य: of it / of that (city)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive 6th); एकवचन

• संरक्षणार्थाय: for protection
• संरक्षणार्थाय: Sampradāna (Purpose/Dative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संरक्षण-अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative 4th); एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थ (for the purpose of protection)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kālādhi karaṇa (Temporal adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (then)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; सर्वनाम (refers to devī)

• स्थापिता: was installed
• स्थापिता: Kriyā (Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थेऽपि प्रयोगः (used as address though nominative form)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Camatkārī-kṣetra (city-guardian shrine)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijās (twice-born sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A newly built city with gates and ramparts; at its threshold a Devī shrine is consecrated, symbolically ‘locking’ protection over the settlement.

Characters & Entities

• Camatkārī Devī
• the Mahātmā (founder/king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A community’s welfare is safeguarded when governance and devotion establish divine guardianship aligned with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The city associated with Camatkārī Devī’s स्थापना is praised as a protected sacred settlement within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Establishing the deity (pratiṣṭhā/स्थापना) for kṣetra-rakṣā (protection of the place) is implied.