Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

अथ हर्षसमायुक्ता धृतराष्ट्रमुखाः क्रमात् । प्राधान्येन यथाश्रेष्ठं चक्रुः प्रासादपद्धतिम्

Transliteration

atha harṣasamāyuktā dhṛtarāṣṭramukhāḥ kramāt | prādhānyena yathāśreṣṭhaṃ cakruḥ prāsādapaddhatim

Translation

Dann, von Freude erfüllt, legten Dhṛtarāṣṭra und die anderen der Reihe nach die Ordnung der Tempel fest—gemäß Vorrang und Vorzüglichkeit.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conj./discourse marker): ‘then/now’

• हर्षसमायुक्ताः: endowed with joy
• हर्षसमायुक्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: harṣa + samāyukta (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (हर्षेण समायुक्ताः); क्त (PPP) adjectival; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• धृतराष्ट्रमुखाः: those headed by Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• धृतराष्ट्रमुखाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhṛtarāṣṭra + mukha (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (धृतराष्ट्रः मुखं येषाम्—‘headed by Dhṛtarāṣṭra’); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• क्रमात्: in sequence
• क्रमात्: Kriya-viseshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग/तसिल्-प्रत्यय: पञ्चमी-अर्थे ‘in order/step by step’

• प्राधान्येन: by precedence
• प्राधान्येन: Karana (Manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prādhānya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• यथाश्रेष्ठम्: according to rank
• यथाश्रेष्ठम्: Kriya-viseshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā + śreṣṭha (अव्ययीभाव)
• Form: समास: अव्ययीभाव (यथा-श्रेष्ठम्) — ‘according to excellence/rank’

• चक्रुः: they made, arranged
• चक्रुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• प्रासादपद्धतिम्: the arrangement/plan of palaces
• प्रासादपद्धतिम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāsāda + paddhati (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (प्रासादानां पद्धतिः); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextually within Sūta’s narration in the Tīrthamāhātmya frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celebratory moment: Dhṛtarāṣṭra and other kings, smiling and energized, finalize the layout and establishment of multiple temples in ordered sequence.

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Joyful, orderly service to a sacred site—done with respect and excellence—is presented as a dharmic act that enhances a kṣetra’s glory.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra setting of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No mantra/vrata is stated; the act is organizational—establishing the planned arrangement (paddhati) of prāsādas.