Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मलोके निवसतो ब्रह्मणोऽव्यक्तजन्मनः । देवर्षिर्नारदः प्राप्तो भ्रांत्वा लोकत्रयं मुनिः

Transliteration

brahmaloke nivasato brahmaṇo'vyaktajanmanaḥ | devarṣirnāradaḥ prāpto bhrāṃtvā lokatrayaṃ muniḥ

Translation

Tandis que Brahmā —né de l’Inmanifesté— demeurait en Brahmaloka, le sage divin Nārada y parvint, après avoir erré à travers les trois mondes.

Word by Word

• brahmaloke: in Brahmaloka
• brahmaloke: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (brahmaṇaḥ lokaḥ); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• nivasataḥ: of (him) dwelling
• nivasataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-vas (धातु) + nivasat (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle) षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• brahmaṇaḥ: of Brahmā
• brahmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• avyaktajanmanaḥ: whose birth is unmanifest
• avyaktajanmanaḥ: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: avyakta + janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: कर्मधारय (avyaktaṃ janma yasya); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier of brahmaṇaḥ)

• devarṣiḥ: the divine sage
• devarṣiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva + ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (devaḥ ṛṣiḥ / devarṣi); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• nāradaḥ: Nārada
• nāradaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• prāptaḥ: arrived
• prāptaḥ: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (धातु) + prāpta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhrāṃtvā: having wandered
• bhrāṃtvā: Sambandha (Prior action/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhram (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया (having wandered)

• lokatrayam: the three worlds
• lokatrayam: Karma (Object of bhrāṃtvā/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: द्विगु (trayo lokāḥ); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• muniḥ: the sage
• muniḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara (origin story mediated through Brahmā–Nārada episode)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-śreṣṭhas/Rishis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā resides in Brahmaloka; Nārada arrives after roaming the three worlds—depict Brahmā on lotus-throne amid luminous celestial architecture, with Nārada entering holding vīṇā, travel-worn yet radiant.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Brahmaloka
• Devarṣi Nārada
• Trailokya (three worlds)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrtha teachings are often revealed through divine dialogues, linking sacred geography to cosmic order and sage-tradition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara indirectly—this verse sets the narrative frame (Brahmā–Nārada dialogue) that will explain Puṣkara’s greatness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it establishes the narrative setting and characters.