Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

एतद्यः पठते नित्यमाख्यानं नगरोद्भवम् । न तस्य सर्पजं क्वापि कथंचिज्जायते भयम्

Transliteration

etadyaḥ paṭhate nityamākhyānaṃ nagarodbhavam | na tasya sarpajaṃ kvāpi kathaṃcijjāyate bhayam

Translation

Quiconque récite chaque jour ce récit de la naissance de la cité, ne sera jamais, en aucun lieu et d’aucune manière, saisi d’une crainte née des serpents.

Word by Word

• etat: this (text/this)
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-शब्द

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यः (relative pronoun)

• paṭhate: reads
• paṭhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paṭh (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष? (actually 3rd person)/प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• ākhyānam: narrative, account
• ākhyānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• nagarodbhavam: arising from the city / about the city's origin
• nagarodbhavam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nagara + udbhava (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नगरस्य उद्भवः) विशेषणम् (ākhyānam-विशेषण)

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (निषेध-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-शब्द

• sarpajam: snake-born, caused by a snake
• sarpajam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarpa + ja (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सर्पात् जातम्) विशेषणम् (bhayam-विशेषण)

• kvāpi: anywhere
• kvāpi: Deshadhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva + api (अव्यय-द्वय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb) + अव्यय 'अपि' (emphatic/indefinite)

• kathaṃcit: in any way, at all
• kathaṃcit: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham + cit (अव्यय-द्वय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb) + 'चित्' (indefinite)

• jāyate: arises, is born, occurs
• jāyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa continuing the māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (Nagara-utpatti-ākhyāna context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/śaunaka-ādi (typical Naimiṣāraṇya frame; specific listener not in this verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee seated in a simple shrine-courtyard recites a palm-leaf manuscript; nearby, serpents withdraw harmlessly, symbolizing fearlessness granted by sacred narrative.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular recitation (pāṭha) of a sacred place’s māhātmya is presented as a protective spiritual practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative tied to Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra, explaining the origin of the ‘Nagara’ tradition within Nāgarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Daily recitation of the nagarodbhava-ākhyāna is recommended as a means of protection from serpent-born fear.