Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

।सूत उवाच । तस्मिञ्छासति धर्मज्ञे स्वधर्मेण वसुन्धराम् । अतिसौख्यान्वितो लोकः सर्वदैव व्यजायत

Transliteration

|sūta uvāca | tasmiñchāsati dharmajñe svadharmeṇa vasundharām | atisaukhyānvito lokaḥ sarvadaiva vyajāyata

Translation

Sūta sprach: Als jener dharmakundige König die Erde gemäß seiner eigenen gerechten Pflicht regierte, blühte das Volk unablässig auf, erfüllt von großem Glück.

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta (the narrator)
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• tasmin: in him / when he
• tasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• śāsati: was ruling
• śāsati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śās (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; वर्तमानकाले ‘शासनं कुर्वति’

• dharmajñe: (in him) who knew dharma
• dharmajñe: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharmajña (प्रातिपदिक: dharma+jña)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (tasmin इत्यस्य)

• svadharmeṇa: by (his) own duty
• svadharmeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svadharma (प्रातिपदिक: sva+dharma)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• vasundharām: the earth
• vasundharām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasundharā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• atisaukhya-anvitaḥ: endowed with great happiness
• atisaukhya-anvitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: atisaukhya+anvita (प्रातिपदिक; atisaukhya=ati+saukhya, anvita)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (lokaḥ इत्यस्य)

• lokaḥ: the world/people
• lokaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• sarvadā: always
• sarvadā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

• vyajāyata: was born/occurred
• vyajāyata: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्गः वि-

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (Naimiṣāraṇya assembly)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dharmajña king seated in sabhā, calm and just; citizens joyful; fields and villages thriving—an emblematic ‘rāma-rājya’ tableau.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When rulers uphold svadharma and govern righteously, collective well-being and harmony naturally arise.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the Adhyāya 96 tīrtha narrative context by describing the dharmic reign connected to that region’s sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the teaching is ethical—svadharma-based governance (rājadharma).