Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । अत्यद्भुतमिदं सूत यत्त्वया समुदाहृतम् । ब्रह्मणा यत्कृतो यज्ञस्तत्र क्षेत्रे महात्मना

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | atyadbhutamidaṃ sūta yattvayā samudāhṛtam | brahmaṇā yatkṛto yajñastatra kṣetre mahātmanā

Translation

Les sages dirent : « Ô Sūta, ce que tu as rapporté est des plus merveilleux : comment Brahmā, l’âme magnanime, accomplit là un sacrifice, en cette contrée sacrée ».

Word by Word

• ṛṣayaḥ: the sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ati-adbhutam: very wonderful
• ati-adbhutam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + adbhuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘very wonderful’

• idam: this
• idam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sūta: O Sūta
• sūta: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• yat: which (that)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; (समुदाहृतम् इत्यस्य कर्म)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• samudāhṛtam: has been narrated
• samudāhṛtam: Kriyā (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेष्य)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ud-ā-√hṛ (हृ)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘fully narrated/uttered’

• brahmaṇā: by Brahmā
• brahmaṇā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; कर्तृकरणे (agent in passive sense)

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; (यज्ञः इत्यस्य विशेषण-सम्बन्धः)

• kṛtaḥ: performed
• kṛtaḥ: Kriyā (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेष्य)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘done/performed’

• yajñaḥ: the sacrifice
• yajñaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• kṣetre: in the sacred field
• kṣetre: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• mahātmanā: by the great-souled one
• mahātmanā: Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇa (Agent-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; महात्मन् = महान् आत्मा यस्य (great-souled); (ब्रह्मणा इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

Speaker

Ṛṣis (sages)

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa)
• Brahmā
• Kṣetra
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are recognized through awe and inquiry—hearing tīrtha-māhātmya kindles faith and dhārmic curiosity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The “kṣetra” refers to the same sacred region under discussion—Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra within Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No prescription; it introduces questions about the yajña performed by Brahmā.