Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

अथ तौ मंत्रिवर्गस्य राज्यं सर्वमशेषतः । अर्पयित्वा तु पुत्रार्थं तपोऽर्थमिह चागतौ

Transliteration

atha tau maṃtrivargasya rājyaṃ sarvamaśeṣataḥ | arpayitvā tu putrārthaṃ tapo'rthamiha cāgatau

Translation

Alors tous deux remirent l’entier royaume, sans rien en garder, au cercle des ministres ; et, désirant un fils, ils vinrent ici pour accomplir l’austérité (tapas).

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भ/अनन्तरार्थक (then/now)

• tau: those two
• tau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• maṃtri-vargasya: to the group of ministers (of the ministers’ group)
• maṃtri-vargasya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃtrin (प्रातिपदिक) + varga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (मन्त्रिणां वर्गः)

• rājyam: kingdom
• rājyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (rājyam इति)

• aśeṣataḥ: completely
• aśeṣataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aśeṣataḥ (अव्यय; तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/परिमाणवाचक (entirely, without remainder)

• arpayitvā: having handed over
• arpayitvā: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arp (धातु) + णिच् (causative) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having caused to be given/handed over’

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (but/indeed)

• putra-artham: for the sake of a son
• putra-artham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (पुत्रस्य अर्थः = पुत्रार्थः) प्रयोजनार्थे

• tapaḥ-artham: for the purpose of austerity
• tapaḥ-artham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (तपसः अर्थः) प्रयोजनार्थे

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (here)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• āgatau: came
• āgatau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + gam (धातु) + ta (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; भूतभावे ‘came’

Speaker

Sūta (tīrthamāhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa audience (viprendra addressed in adjacent verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A formal court scene: the king hands over royal insignia and documents to ministers; immediately after, the couple departs toward forested sacred terrain with ascetic resolve.

Characters & Entities

• mantrivarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes knowing when to relinquish power and pursue higher aims—here, tapas and devotion at a sacred place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘here’ points to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra context within this tīrthamāhātmya, culminating in Raivateśvara’s praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is explicitly undertaken as the means for fulfilling the desire for progeny.