Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । पुरासीद्ब्राह्मणो नाम हारीत इति विश्रुतः । स तपस्तत्र संतेपे वानप्रस्थाश्रमे वसन्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | purāsīdbrāhmaṇo nāma hārīta iti viśrutaḥ | sa tapastatra saṃtepe vānaprasthāśrame vasan

Translation

Sūta dit : Jadis vivait un brāhmane renommé du nom de Hārīta. Demeurant dans l’état de vānaprastha, il y pratiqua les austérités.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kālādhi karaṇa (Temporal adverbial/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक)

• आसीत्: there was
• आसीत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ब्राह्मणः: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Viśeṣaṇa-marker (Naming particle/नामसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (नामनिर्देशक/quotative particle): ‘नाम/by name’

• हारीतः: Hārīta
• हारीतः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हारीत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (व्यक्तिनाम/proper noun)

• इति: thus
• इति: Quotation marker (इति-प्रयोग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरण/quotative)

• विश्रुतः: renowned
• विश्रुतः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि+श्रु (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle) ‘विश्रुत/renowned’, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ब्राह्मणस्य विशेषणम्

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक)

• सन्तेपे: performed (penance), practiced austerity
• सन्तेपे: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• वानप्रस्थाश्रमे: in the vānaprastha-āśrama (forest-dweller stage)
• वानप्रस्थाश्रमे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वानप्रस्थ + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वानप्रस्थस्य आश्रमः)

• वसन्: dwelling, residing
• वसन्: Karta (Agent as participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘वसन्/dwelling’—सः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (assembly)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta begins the tale: the brāhmaṇa Hārīta, living as a vānaprastha, performs austerities at the site that will become central to the tīrtha’s legend.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Hārīta (brāhmaṇa)
• Vānaprastha āśrama
• tapas (austerity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Āśrama-dharma and tapas are presented as forces that sanctify geography—holy places become luminous through disciplined living and austerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse situates Hārīta’s tapas 'there'—within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya sacred locale connected to Śilākhaṇḍā Devī and Saubhāgya-kūpikā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) aligned with vānaprastha discipline is highlighted as the practice undertaken.