Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

आनर्ताधिपतिर्योऽत्र कश्चिद्राज्येऽभिषिच्यते । स पूर्वं गच्छति ग्रामं नागराणां प्रभक्तितः

Transliteration

ānartādhipatiryo'tra kaścidrājye'bhiṣicyate | sa pūrvaṃ gacchati grāmaṃ nāgarāṇāṃ prabhaktitaḥ

Translation

Quiconque est ici oint comme souverain d’Ānarta se rend d’abord au village des Nāgaras, par bhakti et par respect dû.

Word by Word

• ānartādhipatiḥ: the ruler of Ānarta
• ānartādhipatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ānarta-adhipati (प्रातिपदिक; आनर्त + अधिपति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता/विषय

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): अत्र (here)

• kaścit: someone/any
• kaścit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaścid (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक (indefinite pronoun)

• rājye: in the kingdom
• rājye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• abhiṣicyate: is consecrated/installed
• abhiṣicyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-ṣic (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): ‘is anointed/installed’

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; निर्देश (demonstrative)

• pūrvam: first
• pūrvam: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव/क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्यय: पूर्वम् (first/previously)

• gacchati: goes
• gacchati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• grāmam: to the village
• grāmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• nāgarāṇām: of the Nāgaras (people of Nāgara)
• nāgarāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• prabhaktitaḥ: by allotment/according to assignment
• prabhaktitaḥ: Hetu (Cause/ground/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prabhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिलन्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb): प्रभक्तितः (according to distribution/assignment; by allotment)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgara-grāma (Nāgara settlement) in Ānarta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A coronation aftermath: the newly anointed Ānarta king, with a small retinue, approaches a Nāgara village; brāhmaṇas receive him with Vedic blessings, water-pot, and auspicious items; the king bows respectfully.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Ānarta (region)
• Nāgara (community/people)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kingship is portrayed as socially and ritually embedded; honoring established righteous communities is part of legitimate rule.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya context continues, now adding regional-cultural detail connected with Ānarta and Nāgaras.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A customary protocol: after consecration (abhiṣeka), the ruler should first visit and honor the Nāgaras’ village.