Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु भ्रममाणे यदृच्छया । कश्चित्कार्पटिकः प्राप्तो दिव्यरूपवपुर्धरः

Transliteration

etasminneva kāle tu bhramamāṇe yadṛcchayā | kaścitkārpaṭikaḥ prāpto divyarūpavapurdharaḥ

Translation

En ce même temps, tandis qu’il errait par hasard, arriva un certain kārpaṭika (mendiant ascète), dont le corps portait une forme divine.

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-शब्दः; नपुंसकलिङ्गे (अधिकरणे प्रयोगः), सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्; locative ‘in this’

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• काले: at (the) time
• काले: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्; locative ‘at the time’

• तु: but/and then
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (concessive/contrast particle)

• भ्रममाणे: while wandering
• भ्रममाणे: Adhikarana (सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध/सप्तमी-absolute)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक-कर्तरि शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; locative absolute sense ‘while (he) was wandering’

• यदृच्छया: by chance
• यदृच्छया: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यदृच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचनम्; instrumental ‘by chance’

• कश्चित्: a certain/some
• कश्चित्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; ‘someone’

• कार्पटिकः: a mendicant/beggar
• कार्पटिकः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्पटिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; apposition to कश्चित्

• प्राप्तः: arrived
• प्राप्तः: Kriya (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/भूतकर्तरि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘having arrived/arrived’

• दिव्य-रूप-वपुः-धरः: bearing a divine form/body
• दिव्य-रूप-वपुः-धरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक) + वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः; विशेषण-समास); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; qualifies कार्पटिकः

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa context; specific speaker not explicit in this excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant mendicant in patched garments (kārpaṭika) enters the troubled city; despite ascetic attire, his body shines with divine luster, drawing all eyes.

Characters & Entities

• kārpaṭika (mendicant/ascetic)
• nṛpa (implied king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In moments of crisis, providence often sends a saintly guide who redirects despair into a dharmic path.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; the arrival of the kārpaṭika foreshadows guidance toward a curative tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed here; it introduces the saintly figure who will prescribe the tīrtha practice.