Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अथान्यापि च तत्रास्ति देशकामप्रदा नृणाम् । अजापालेन भूपेन स्थापिता पापनाशनी

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | athānyāpi ca tatrāsti deśakāmapradā nṛṇām | ajāpālena bhūpena sthāpitā pāpanāśanī

Translation

Sūta sprach: Dort gibt es auch eine weitere heilige Macht, die den Menschen die ersehnten Gaben jenes Landes gewährt; sie wurde von König Ajāpāla eingesetzt und vernichtet Sünden.

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta (the narrator)
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमसूचक/अनन्तरार्थक (sequencing particle: then/now)

• anyā: another (one)
• anyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction: and)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: there)

• asti: is/exists
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• deśakāmapradā: granting desired wishes
• deśakāmapradā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + pradā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुषार्थ (giver of desired objects/boons)

• nṛṇām: of men
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (Possessor/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ajāpālena: by Ajāpāla
• ajāpālena: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ajāpāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• bhūpena: by the king
• bhūpena: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; apposition to ajāpālena

• sthāpitā: established
• sthāpitā: Kriya (Predicate participle)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे कर्तृ-तृतीया सह

• pāpanāśanī: sin-destroying
• pāpanāśanī: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (destroyer of sins)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ajāpāleśvarī (sthāpita śakti)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/śaunaka-ādi (implied purāṇic audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates the presence of another sacred power at the site: a sin-destroying shrine established by King Ajāpāla, with pilgrims approaching in reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Ajāpāla (king)
• Ajāpāleśvarī (implied upcoming deity/tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha established in righteousness becomes both wish-fulfilling and sin-destroying, benefiting society across generations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ajāpāleśvarī/Ajāpāla-associated sacred shrine or tīrtha in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite here; it introduces the shrine’s power (kāmapradā) and its pāpa-nāśana (sin-removing) nature.