Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

। सूत उवाच । एवं स वसुधापालो ब्राह्मणेभ्यः स्वशक्तितः । ददौ तु नगरं कृत्वा पुरंदरपुरोपमम्

Transliteration

| sūta uvāca | evaṃ sa vasudhāpālo brāhmaṇebhyaḥ svaśaktitaḥ | dadau tu nagaraṃ kṛtvā puraṃdarapuropamam

Translation

Sūta dit : Ainsi, ce protecteur de la terre, selon ses moyens, après avoir bâti une cité semblable à celle de Purandara (Indra), la donna aux brāhmanes.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/प्रकारेण (thus)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन (nom. sg.); सर्वनाम

• वसुधा-पालः: the king (protector of the earth)
• वसुधा-पालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasudhā (प्रातिपदिक) + pāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन (nom. sg.); तत्पुरुषः (वसुधायाः पालः = protector of the earth)

• ब्राह्मणेभ्यः: to the Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणेभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी बहुवचन (dat. pl.)

• स्व-शक्तितः: according to his own ability
• स्व-शक्तितः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + śakti (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; तसिलन्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb: "from/according to one's power")

• ददौ: gave
• ददौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोधसूचक (but/indeed)

• नगरम्: a city
• नगरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nagara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (acc. sg.)

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकर्म (having made)

• पुरंदर-पुर-उपमम्: like Indra's city
• पुरंदर-पुर-उपमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: purandara (प्रातिपदिक) + pura (प्रातिपदिक) + upama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (acc. sg.); तत्पुरुषः (पुरंदरस्य पुरस्य उपमम् = comparable to Indra's city); विशेषणम् (नगरस्य)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates as a king presents a newly built, radiant city—planned streets, gates, and mansions—to an assembly of Brāhmaṇas; the city is compared to Amarāvatī.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Brāhmaṇa
• Purandara (Indra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The height of royal dharma is selfless endowment—offering even a splendid city for the support of sacred learning and virtue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A city within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya is praised as Indra-like; the excerpt does not provide the city’s proper name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mahā-dāna (great donation): gifting a settlement/city to Brāhmaṇas, done within one’s means (svaśakti).