Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अथास्य कथयामास सप्तमीं तां द्विजोत्तमाः । चंडशर्माभिधानस्तु कृत्वा तस्योपरि कृपाम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | athāsya kathayāmāsa saptamīṃ tāṃ dvijottamāḥ | caṃḍaśarmābhidhānastu kṛtvā tasyopari kṛpām

Translation

Sūta dit : Alors les meilleurs des brāhmaṇas lui exposèrent cette Saptamī. L’un d’eux, nommé Caṇḍaśarmā, pris de compassion pour lui, l’instruisit.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु; लिट्-रूप)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (sequence particle)

• अस्य: to him/of him
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• कथयामास: told/narrated
• कथयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (कथ् धातु का णिच्; ‘कथय’), + आस् (धातु; परिप्रयोग)
• Form: लिट्/परिप्रयोगात्मक-भूत (periphrastic perfect-like narrative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; अर्थे—‘कथयामास’ = ‘कथयति स्म/कथितवान्’

• सप्तमीम्: the saptamī (observance)
• सप्तमीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्तमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ताम्: that
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• द्विजोत्तमाः: the best Brahmins
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (द्विजानाम् उत्तमाः)

• चण्डशर्माभिधानः: one named Caṇḍaśarman
• चण्डशर्माभिधानः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चण्डशर्मन् + अभिधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—बहुव्रीहि (चण्डशर्म इति अभिधानं यस्य)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• उपरि: upon/towards
• उपरि: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उपरि (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश/अव्यय (postposition/adverb: ‘upon/towards’)

• कृपाम्: compassion
• कृपाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृपा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puraścaraṇa-Saptamī (vrata)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (assembly of sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates: the learned Caṇḍaśarmā, moved by compassion, explains the Puraścaraṇa Saptamī to the seeker; a teacher-disciple moment with an assembly nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Brāhmaṇas
• Caṇḍaśarmā
• Puraścaraṇa-saptamī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate instruction by the learned becomes a vehicle for another’s purification and upliftment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; the focus is on the transmission of a purification observance within the tīrtha narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The Saptamī observance (Puraścaraṇa-saptamī) is introduced as something to be explained and practiced.