Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

निजैस्तैः सेवकैः सार्धं प्रस्थितः स्वपुरीं प्रति । माहिष्मतीं समुद्दिश्य दृष्ट्वा मार्गे शनैःशनैः

Transliteration

nijaistaiḥ sevakaiḥ sārdhaṃ prasthitaḥ svapurīṃ prati | māhiṣmatīṃ samuddiśya dṛṣṭvā mārge śanaiḥśanaiḥ

Translation

Accompagné de ses propres serviteurs, il se mit en route vers sa cité; et, se dirigeant vers Māhiṣmatī, il avança sur le chemin lentement, pas à pas.

Word by Word

• निजैः: his own
• निजैः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of सेवकैः)

• तैः: those
• तैः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम; विशेषण (of सेवकैः)

• सेवकैः: with attendants
• सेवकैः: Sahakari (Association/सहकारी; सह-तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेवक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sahakari (Association/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक (together with)

• प्रस्थितः: set out/departed
• प्रस्थितः: Kriya (Predicate via participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-स्था (धातु) → प्रस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग (set out)

• स्वपुरीम्: to his own city
• स्वपुरीम्: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समास: स्व (own) + पुरी (city)

• प्रति: towards
• प्रति: Gati (Direction/गति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक/प्रत्यर्थक (towards)

• माहिष्मतीम्: Māhiṣmatī (city)
• माहिष्मतीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहिष्मती (प्रातिपदिक; स्थाननाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (destination)

• समुद्दिश्य: aiming at/heading for
• समुद्दिश्य: Kriya-viseshana (Purpose/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-उद्-दिश् (धातु) → समुद्दिश्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); उद्देश्य/लक्ष्यनिर्देश (having aimed at/heading for)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया (having seen)

• मार्गे: on the road
• मार्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• शनैः: slowly
• शनैः: Kriya-viseshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शनैः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (slowly)

• शनैः: slowly
• शनैः: Kriya-viseshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शनैः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति (very slowly/step by step)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller; likely Sūta-style narration within Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Māhiṣmatī (as a kṣetra/waypoint)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A travel scene: the king and attendants on a road through varied terrain, moving slowly; distant suggestion of a riverine city (Māhiṣmatī) ahead; dust subdued; posture composed.

Characters & Entities

• Māhiṣmatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-travel is portrayed as deliberate and disciplined, undertaken with order and support.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Māhiṣmatī is named as a destination/waypoint in the sacred-geography narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it describes the dharmic journey toward a sacredly framed destination.