Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

ततस्ते मुनयो दृष्ट्वा यमदूतोपमं च तम् । यज्ञोपवीतसंयुक्तं प्रोचुस्ते कृपयान्विताः

Transliteration

tataste munayo dṛṣṭvā yamadūtopamaṃ ca tam | yajñopavītasaṃyuktaṃ procuste kṛpayānvitāḥ

Translation

Alors les sages, le voyant tel un messager de Yama, bien qu’il portât encore le yajñopavīta, lui adressèrent la parole, saisis de compassion.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb; अर्थे ‘ततः/अनन्तरम्’

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (Nom. pl.)

• munayaḥ: sages
• munayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (Nom. pl.)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘दृष्ट्वा’ = having seen

• yamadūta-upamam: resembling a messenger of Yama
• yamadūta-upamam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yamadūta (प्रातिपदिक) + upama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उपमान-निर्देश); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनम् (Acc. sg.)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (Acc. sg.)

• yajñopavīta-saṃyuktam: wearing the sacred thread
• yajñopavīta-saṃyuktam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yajñopavīta (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √yuj)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचनम् (Acc. sg.); ‘यज्ञोपवीतेन संयुक्तः’

• procuḥ: they said
• procuḥ: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (Nom. pl.); (पुनरुक्त-कर्तृनिर्देश)

• kṛpayā-anvitāḥ: endowed with compassion
• kṛpayā-anvitāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛpā (प्रातिपदिक) + anvita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √i + anu)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (Nom. pl.); ‘कृपया अन्विताः’ = endowed with compassion

Speaker

Narrator (specific speaker not stated in the provided excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of serene forest sages, clad in bark and deer-skin, behold a threatening figure resembling a Yama-messenger yet wearing a sacred thread; their faces show compassion and concern as they begin to speak.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Saptarṣi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the fallen are not abandoned by dharma: the sages respond with compassion, opening a path of reform and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha context is implicit (tīrthayātrā in the surrounding narrative), but this verse does not name a particular site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the mention of yajñopavīta highlights dharmic identity and responsibility rather than a specific rite.