Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

सर्वश्वेताः सुवेगाश्च श्यामैकश्रवणास्तथा । शतानि सप्तसंख्यानि तावत्संख्यै र्नरैयुताः

Transliteration

sarvaśvetāḥ suvegāśca śyāmaikaśravaṇāstathā | śatāni saptasaṃkhyāni tāvatsaṃkhyai rnaraiyutāḥ

Translation

Ils étaient tous blancs, d’une vitesse extrême, et portaient une seule oreille sombre. Ils étaient au nombre de sept cents, accompagnés d’hommes en nombre égal.

Word by Word

• sarva-śvetāḥ: all white
• sarva-śvetāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + śveta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (sarve śvetāḥ)

• suvegāḥ: very swift
• suvegāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + vega (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (su- = उपसर्गवत्)

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

• śyāma-eka-śravaṇāḥ: having one dark ear
• śyāma-eka-śravaṇāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śyāma (प्रातिपदिक) + eka (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + śravaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (śyāmaṃ ekaṃ śravaṇaṃ yeṣām—बहुव्रीह्यर्थे प्रयोगः सम्भवः)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थ (so, likewise)

• śatāni: hundreds
• śatāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• sapta-saṃkhyāni: seven in number
• sapta-saṃkhyāni: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (saptānāṃ saṃkhyāni / sapta-saṃkhyāni = seven in number)

• tāvat-saṃkhyaiḥ: with that same number
• tāvat-saṃkhyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Measure/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tāvat (प्रमाण-प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (tāvatī saṃkhyā yaiḥ)

• naraiḥ: by men
• naraiḥ: Sahakari (Association/सहकारि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• yutāḥ: joined, accompanied
• yutāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuj (धातु) → yuta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aśvatīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A procession-like tableau: seven hundred white horses, each with a single dark ear, aligned in rows; alongside them, an equal number of men, suggesting a divinely ordered emergence rather than chaos.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Ṛcīka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic vision presents dharma supported by divine order—right effort at a sacred place yields complete fulfillment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The water-source at the Gaṅgā-bank that produced the horses—recognized as Aśvatīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new prescription here; it confirms the result of the earlier japa/viniyoga in precise, verifiable marks.