Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

ततोऽन्यदिवसे प्राप्ते तेन शूद्रेण भूपतिः । पृष्टः किमेतदाश्चर्यं दृश्यते रजनीमुखे

Transliteration

tato'nyadivase prāpte tena śūdreṇa bhūpatiḥ | pṛṣṭaḥ kimetadāścaryaṃ dṛśyate rajanīmukhe

Translation

Als ein weiterer Tag anbrach, wurde der König von jenem Śūdra gefragt: „Was ist dieses Wunder, das man beim Anbruch der Nacht erblickt?“

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) = then/thereafter

• अन्यदिवसे: on another day
• अन्यदिवसे: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य-दिवस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'अन्यः दिवसः' = on another day

• प्राप्ते: when (it) had come
• प्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (when it had come)

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karana (Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शूद्रेण: by the Śūdra
• शूद्रेण: Karana (Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भूपतिः: the king
• भूपतिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू-पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पृष्टः: was asked
• पृष्टः: Kriya (Passive predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-छ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) 'पृष्ट'; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः = 'was asked'

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of आश्चर्यम्)

• आश्चर्यम्: wonder/marvel
• आश्चर्यम्: Karma (Object/Complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्चर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दृश्यते: is seen/appears
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः = is seen/appears

• रजनीमुखे: at nightfall
• रजनीमुखे: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रजनी-मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'रजन्याः मुखे' = at the beginning of night

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Purāṇic narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Daytime after repeated nights: the Śūdra, now steady and confident, addresses the king directly, hands folded or gesturing in inquiry, asking the reason for the nightly wonder.

Characters & Entities

• bhūpati (king)
• śūdra (the man)
• rajanī (night)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere questioning (jijñāsā) is the doorway to sacred knowledge; marvels in tīrthas are meant to lead to dharmic understanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it is part of a tīrtha-mahātmya chapter where the site’s secret is about to be disclosed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a question initiating explanation.