Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

किंकरा ऊचुः । एष देवश्चतुर्वक्त्रः सभेयं तस्य सम्भवा । सर्वैर्देवगणैर्जुष्टा प्रणामः क्रियतामिति

Transliteration

kiṃkarā ūcuḥ | eṣa devaścaturvaktraḥ sabheyaṃ tasya sambhavā | sarvairdevagaṇairjuṣṭā praṇāmaḥ kriyatāmiti

Translation

The attendants said: “This is the four-faced god, Brahmā. This assembly has arisen from him and is graced by all the hosts of gods. Therefore, make obeisance.”

Word by Word

• kiṃkarāḥ: the attendants
• kiṃkarāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kiṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• eṣaḥ: this (one)
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• devaḥ: god
• devaḥ: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘एषः’ इत्यस्य अप्पोजिशन

• catur-vaktraḥ: four-faced
• catur-vaktraḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः ‘चत्वारि वक्त्राणि यस्य’

• sabhā: the assembly
• sabhā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• iyam: this
• iyam: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘सभा’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• sambhavā: origin/creation
• sambhavā: Karta (Predicate complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sambhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘सभा’ इत्यस्य विधेय (predicate noun)

• sarvaiḥ: by all
• sarvaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘देवगणैः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• deva-gaṇaiḥ: by the groups of gods
• deva-gaṇaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘देवानां गणाः’

• juṣṭā: frequented/adorned
• juṣṭā: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: juṣ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, भूतकर्मणि/भावे); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘सभा’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् = ‘सेविता/समुपेता’

• praṇāmaḥ: salutation
• praṇāmaḥ: Karma (Object of injunction/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praṇāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kriyatām: let (it) be done
• kriyatām: Kriya (Injunctive action/विधि-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive imperative)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्तिसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

Speaker

Kiṃkaras (attendants/servitors in the assembly)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The first-person narrator (addressed/instructed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Divine attendants gesture toward Brahmā, instructing the newcomer to bow; Brahmā’s four faces and lotus seat dominate the hall, surrounded by deva hosts.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Recognizing divine authority and offering reverence (praṇāma) is presented as proper dharma in sacred settings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The shloka is within a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter but does not itself name a particular site; it describes the heavenly assembly context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Praṇāma (formal obeisance) is explicitly instructed.