Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अत्र वः कीर्तयिष्यामि देव्या माहात्म्यमुत्तमम् । श्रुतमात्रेऽपि मर्त्यानां येन शत्रुक्षयो भवेत्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | atra vaḥ kīrtayiṣyāmi devyā māhātmyamuttamam | śrutamātre'pi martyānāṃ yena śatrukṣayo bhavet

Translation

Sūta dit : «Ici je vous raconterai la grandeur suprême de la Déesse ; rien qu’en l’entendant, les mortels obtiennent la destruction de leurs ennemis.»

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb of place)

• vaḥ: to you
• vaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी बहुवचन-प्रयोग (enclitic); सम्प्रदानार्थे (to you all)

• kīrtayiṣyāmi: I will narrate
• kīrtayiṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kīrt (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• devyāḥ: of the Goddess
• devyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे

• māhātmyam: glory
• māhātmyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• uttamam: supreme
• uttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying māhātmyam)

• śrutamātre: in mere hearing
• śrutamātre: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śruta-mātra (प्रातिपदिक; श्रुत + मात्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे (in the mere hearing)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि = even/also (particle)

• martyānām: of mortals
• martyānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धे

• yena: by which
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण (instrument/means)

• śatrukṣayaḥ: destruction of enemies
• śatrukṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śatru-kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक; शत्रु + क्षय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता (result as subject)

• bhavet: would occur
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Sūta

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Devī (Kātyāyanī implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devotional listening) of Devī-māhātmya is itself a protective practice that weakens hostile forces—outer and inner.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it introduces a Devī-māhātmya narration within the tīrtha-oriented Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Hearing (śravaṇa) of the Devī’s māhātmya is presented as a spiritually efficacious act.