Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

चमत्कारपुरे पूर्वमासीत्कश्चित्सुशल्यवित् । रजकः शुद्धकोनाम पुत्रपौत्रसमन्वितः

Transliteration

camatkārapure pūrvamāsītkaścitsuśalyavit | rajakaḥ śuddhakonāma putrapautrasamanvitaḥ

Translation

Autrefois, dans la cité de Camatkārapura, vivait un blanchisseur nommé Śuddhaka, habile en son art, pourvu de fils et de petits-fils.

Word by Word

• चमत्कारपुरे: in Camatkārapura
• चमत्कारपुरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चमत्कारपुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक; तत्पुरुषः: 'चमत्कारस्य पुरम्'

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• आसीत्: there was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: अस् (to be)

• कश्चित्: someone, a certain (man)
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक-सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

• सुशल्यवित्: skilled in treating/removing splinters
• सुशल्यवित्: Karta (Subject-apposition/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु + शल्यवित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: 'सु-शल्यवित्' = well-skilled in removing splinters/foreign bodies (surgeon-like)

• रजकः: a washerman
• रजकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रजक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शुद्धकः: Śuddhaka
• शुद्धकः: Karta (Subject-apposition/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुद्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नामनिर्देशक (indeclinable indicating 'by name')

• पुत्रपौत्रसमन्वितः: accompanied by sons and grandsons
• पुत्रपौत्रसमन्वितः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुत्र + पौत्र + समन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) 'सम्+अन्वि/अन्वय' भावः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-पूर्वपदः (पुत्र-पौत्र) + 'समन्वित' = endowed with

Speaker

Sūta (narrator, continuing)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijottamāḥ (assembled brāhmaṇas/sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A bustling town scene: the washerman Śuddhaka at work with dyed cloth bundles, surrounded by sons and grandsons; the town’s name hints at marvels to come.

Characters & Entities

• Camatkārapura
• Śuddhaka (rajaka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas link tīrtha-māhātmya to everyday social life, showing how ordinary professions become part of dharmic storytelling.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate setting is Camatkārapura; the tīrtha context continues from Śuklatīrtha in the same adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse introduces a character and locale for the ensuing tīrtha-related account.