Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

पूर्वं भगवता तेन ब्रह्मणा लोक कर्तृणा । सृष्टिं कृत्वा च विस्तीर्णां यथोक्तं च चतुर्विधाम्

Transliteration

pūrvaṃ bhagavatā tena brahmaṇā loka kartṛṇā | sṛṣṭiṃ kṛtvā ca vistīrṇāṃ yathoktaṃ ca caturvidhām

Translation

Autrefois, ce Bienheureux Brahmā, créateur des mondes, après avoir produit la vaste création, ainsi qu’il fut énoncé, selon son agencement en quatre formes…

Word by Word

• pūrvam: formerly, first
• pūrvam: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: formerly/first)

• bhagavatā: by the Blessed Lord
• bhagavatā: Kartr̥ (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• tena: by that
• tena: Kartr̥ (Agent qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• brahmaṇā: by Brahmā
• brahmaṇā: Kartr̥ (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• loka-kartṛṇā: by the creator of the worlds
• loka-kartṛṇā: Kartr̥ (Agent apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक) + kartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (लोकस्य कर्ता)

• sṛṣṭim: creation
• sṛṣṭim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Kriya (Gerund/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• vistīrṇām: vast, expanded
• vistīrṇām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √stṝ (स्तॄ) ; vistīrṇa (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सृष्टिम्-विशेषण

• yathā-uktam: as stated
• yathā-uktam: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + ukta (कृदन्त)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (यथा उक्तम् = as stated)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• catur-vidhām: fourfold
• catur-vidhām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (संख्याशब्द) + vidha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (चतुर्विधा)

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rūpa-tīrtha (origin narrative lead-in)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā, four-faced, seated on a lotus, surveys the newly expanded creation arranged in fourfold categories; the cosmos spreads outward like concentric realms, hinting that a specific tīrtha will emerge from this divine planning.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are framed within cosmic order: tīrtha-māhātmyas often root their power in primordial, dharma-governed creation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter context points toward Rūpa-tīrtha, though this verse itself sets the mythic preface with Brahmā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly in this verse.