Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अथ ते नागराः सर्वे पुष्पदानप्रपूर्वकम् । अनुज्ञां प्रददुस्तुष्टा यज्ञफलसमाप्तये

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | atha te nāgarāḥ sarve puṣpadānaprapūrvakam | anujñāṃ pradadustuṣṭā yajñaphalasamāptaye

Translation

Sūta said: Then all those citizens, first offering gifts of flowers, gladly granted their consent, so that the fruit of the sacrifice might be brought to its full completion.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• नागराः: the Nāgaras (people of Nāgara)
• नागराः: Apposition (सम्बोधन/विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• पुष्पदानप्रपूर्वकम्: preceded by offering flowers
• पुष्पदानप्रपूर्वकम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रपूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे/क्रियाविशेषणवत् प्रयोगः (as an adverbial qualifier)

• अनुज्ञाम्: permission
• अनुज्ञाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• प्रददुः: gave
• प्रददुः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट्/लुङ्-सम्भाव्य पाठभेदे; अत्र लिट् (Perfect) रूपम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदी

• तुष्टाः: pleased
• तुष्टाः: Karta-visheshana (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• यज्ञफलसमाप्तये: for the completion of the sacrifice’s fruit/result
• यज्ञफलसमाप्तये: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + समाप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यज्ञस्य फलस्य समाप्तिः)

Speaker

Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of townspeople approach with flower offerings, hands folded, faces bright with devotion; they grant assent for the rite’s successful completion, forming a ring of auspicious presence around the sacrificial setting.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Nāgarāḥ (citizens)
• Yajña (sacrifice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual merit is strengthened when devotion (flower-offering) and communal assent support the proper completion of sacred acts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative; the immediate focus is the ritual setting rather than naming a distinct tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Puṣpa-dāna (offering flowers) and granting anujñā (formal consent) for the yajña’s phala-samāpti (completion of results).