Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

तच्छ्रुत्वा विबुधाः सर्वे कौतुकादेत्य सत्वरम् । वीक्षांचक्रुस्ततो गत्वा दृष्ट्वा मेध्यतमं पुरम्

Transliteration

tacchrutvā vibudhāḥ sarve kautukādetya satvaram | vīkṣāṃcakrustato gatvā dṛṣṭvā medhyatamaṃ puram

Translation

Als sie davon hörten, eilten alle Götter aus Neugier herbei; dann gingen sie hinein, schauten und besichtigten jene höchst reinigende heilige Stadt.

Word by Word

• तत्: that (news/thing)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; pronoun, accusative singular (n.)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); having heard

• विबुधाः: the gods/wise beings
• विबुधाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विबुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; nominative plural (m.)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; adjective agreeing with विबुधाः

• कौतुकात्: out of curiosity
• कौतुकात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौतुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ablative singular (n.)

• एत्य: having come
• एत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इ (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund); having come

• सत्वरम्: quickly
• सत्वरम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सत्वर (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय; adverb

• वीक्षाम्: a look/seeing
• वीक्षाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular (f.)

• चक्रुः: they made/did
• चक्रुः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; they did/made

• ततः: then/from there
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/तदनन्तरम् अर्थे; adverb

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund); having gone

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund); having seen

• मेध्यतमम्: most pure/sanctifying
• मेध्यतमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मेध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तमप्-प्रत्यय (superlative); accusative singular (n.)

• पुरम्: city
• पुरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular (n.)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahāsena-kṣetra (medhyatama-pura)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A procession of devas descends swiftly from the heavens, entering a radiant, spotless sacred city; they look around in amazement, surveying streets, ghats, and the towering temple.

Characters & Entities

• Vibudhas (Devas)
• pura (sacred city)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A truly sacred place draws even the gods; its purity is recognized as inherently transformative and worthy of reverent ‘seeing’ (darśana).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘medhyatama pura’—the supremely purifying city connected to the Mahāsena/Hāṭakeśvara kṣetra in this chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal prescription; the act emphasized is devotional visitation and reverent viewing of the sacred city.