Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । तथान्योऽपि च तत्रास्ति याज्ञवल्क्यसमुद्रवः । आश्रमो लोक विख्यातो मूर्खाणामपि सिद्धिदः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | tathānyo'pi ca tatrāsti yājñavalkyasamudravaḥ | āśramo loka vikhyāto mūrkhāṇāmapi siddhidaḥ

Translation

Dijo Sūta: «Además, allí hay otro lugar sagrado: Yājñavalkya-samudrava, un āśrama célebre en el mundo, que concede realización incluso a los de entendimiento torpe».

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• तथा: thus; likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• अन्यः: another
• अन्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (adjective)

• अपि: also; even
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

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

• अस्ति: is; exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• याज्ञवल्क्यसमुद्रवः: (the place called) Yājñavalkya-samudrava
• याज्ञवल्क्यसमुद्रवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: याज्ञवल्क्य (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्रव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (yājñavalkyasya samudravaḥ)

• आश्रमः: hermitage
• आश्रमः: Apposition/Predicate nominal (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• लोक: world; people
• लोक: Qualifier (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद-रूपेण (as first member in compound)

• विख्यातः: well-known
• विख्यातः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + ख्या (धातु) → विख्यात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• मूर्खाणाम्: of fools
• मूर्खाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्ख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• सिद्धिदः: giver of success/accomplishment
• सिद्धिदः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + द (√दा/ददाति; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (सिद्धिं ददाति इति)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Yājñavalkya-samudrava

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (assembled sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates to assembled ṛṣis; in the background a serene forest āśrama near a waterbody named ‘samudrava’, with a simple hermitage, sacrificial fire, and pilgrims arriving—some portrayed as rustic yet reverent.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Yājñavalkya
• Yājñavalkya-samudrava (tīrtha/āśrama)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true āśrama/tīrtha elevates all seekers; even limited learning is not an obstacle when one approaches a sanctified place with sincerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Yājñavalkya-samudrava āśrama, introduced as a renowned sacred spot in the region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this opening verse; it introduces the site and its general fruit (siddhi).