Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

अद्यप्रभृति तत्स्थानं नगराख्यं धरातले । भविष्यति सुविख्यातं तव कीर्तिविवर्धनम्

Transliteration

adyaprabhṛti tatsthānaṃ nagarākhyaṃ dharātale | bhaviṣyati suvikhyātaṃ tava kīrtivivardhanam

Translation

Dès ce jour, ce lieu sur la terre sera connu sous le nom de « Nagara » ; il deviendra largement célébré et accroîtra ta renommée.

Word by Word

• अद्यप्रभृति: from today onward
• अद्यप्रभृति: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय) + प्रभृति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; कालवाचक-अव्यय (from today onwards)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘स्थानम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (that)

• स्थानम्: place
• स्थानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नगराख्यम्: named ‘Nagara’
• नगराख्यम्: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नगर (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (नगर इति आख्या यस्य = named ‘Nagara’)—‘स्थानम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• धरातले: on the surface of the earth
• धरातले: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरा (प्रातिपदिक) + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धरायाः तलम्)

• भविष्यति: will become
• भविष्यति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्काल/Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• सुविख्यातम्: very renowned
• सुविख्यातम्: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + विख्यात (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्ताधारित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सु-विख्यातम् = very famous)

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (your)

• कीर्तिविवर्धनम्: an increaser of (your) fame
• कीर्तिविवर्धनम्: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीर्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + विवर्धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कीर्तेः विवर्धनम् = increaser of fame)

Speaker

Śrī Bhagavān

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nagara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressee whose fame increases (likely Trijāta or the acting protector)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A blessing pronounces the site’s new name ‘Nagara’; the landscape is shown as newly sanctified, with villagers/pilgrims gathering and a subtle aura marking the ground.

Characters & Entities

• Nagara (place-name)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sacred place becomes a tīrtha through divine sanction and righteous action; fame is framed as the byproduct of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The site is explicitly named: Nagara, a place on earth made famous by this event in the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite here; it is a sthala-nāma (place-naming) proclamation establishing the site’s renown.