Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

जनकाय नरेंद्राय व्याख्याय च ततः परम् । कात्यायनं सुतं प्राप्य वेदसूत्रस्य कारकम्

Transliteration

janakāya nareṃdrāya vyākhyāya ca tataḥ param | kātyāyanaṃ sutaṃ prāpya vedasūtrasya kārakam

Translation

Ensuite, l’ayant exposé au roi Janaka, seigneur parmi les hommes, il rencontra Kātyāyana, son fils—le compositeur des sūtra du Veda.

Word by Word

• जनकाय: to Janaka
• जनकाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• नरेन्द्राय: to the king (lord of men)
• नरेन्द्राय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नराणाम् इन्द्रः)

• व्याख्याय: to the exposition/commentary
• व्याख्याय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• परम्: afterwards/further
• परम्: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगे अव्ययवत् (adverbial accusative)

• कात्यायनम्: Kātyāyana
• कात्यायनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कात्यायन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• सुतम्: the son
• सुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• प्राप्य: having obtained/met
• प्राप्य: Kriya-viseshana (Gerundial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; धातुः आप्, उपसर्गः प्र-; अर्थः ‘प्राप्य’ = having obtained/met

• वेदसूत्रस्य: of the Veda-sūtra
• वेदसूत्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद + सूत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वेदस्य सूत्रम्)

• कारकम्: the maker/author
• कारकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (Naimiṣāraṇya setting implied by Sūta-ṛṣi frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage expounds sacred doctrine to King Janaka in a royal-forest liminal setting; afterward he meets Kātyāyana, portrayed as a youthful sūtra-composer holding palm-leaf manuscripts, with a subtle aura of Vedic fire-light.

Characters & Entities

• Janaka
• Yājñavalkya
• Kātyāyana
• Veda-sūtra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True learning flows into public instruction—guiding rulers and shaping disciplined scripture through sūtra tradition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tirtha is named in this verse; it continues the chapter’s sacred narrative linking tirtha-merit to Vedic transmission.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes dissemination of teaching (vyākhyā) and the formation of sūtra-based Vedic discipline.