Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

कार्पटिक उवाच । किमेषा व्याकुला भद्रे सर्वा जाता महापुरी । निरानन्दाऽश्रुपूर्णाक्षैर्बालवृद्धैर्निषेविता

Transliteration

kārpaṭika uvāca | kimeṣā vyākulā bhadre sarvā jātā mahāpurī | nirānandā'śrupūrṇākṣairbālavṛddhairniṣevitā

Translation

Le kārpaṭika dit : «Dame vénérable, pourquoi cette grande cité tout entière est-elle devenue si troublée—sans joie, et remplie d’enfants et de vieillards aux yeux baignés de larmes ?»

Word by Word

• कार्पटिकः: the mendicant (Kārpaṭika)
• कार्पटिकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārpaṭika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• किम्: what? / why?
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• एषा: this (she/this city)
• एषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• व्याकुला: distressed, agitated
• व्याकुला: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyākula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• भद्रे: O good lady / O auspicious one
• भद्रे: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhadrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• सर्वा: entire, wholly
• सर्वा: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• जाता: become, turned into
• जाता: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन् (धातु) + जात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• महापुरी: the great city
• महापुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + purī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारय (महती च सा पुरी)

• निरानन्दा: joyless
• निरानन्दा: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir- + ānanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नञ्/निर्-प्रत्ययार्थक-विशेषण

• अश्रुपूर्णाक्षैः: by/with (people) whose eyes are full of tears
• अश्रुपूर्णाक्षैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aśru + pūrṇa + akṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अश्रुभिः पूर्णानि अक्षीणि येषाम्)

• बालवृद्धैः: by children and the aged
• बालवृद्धैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāla + vṛddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः द्वन्द्व (बालाश्च वृद्धाश्च)

• निषेविता: frequented, attended
• निषेविता: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि + सेव् (धातु) + निषेवित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Kārpaṭika

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A woman/citizen addressed as 'bhadre' (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast city street near a palace gate: children and elders gather, eyes brimming with tears; the ascetic kārpaṭika questions a distressed woman/citizen as the city’s joy seems extinguished.

Characters & Entities

• kārpaṭika
• mahāpurī (great city)
• bāla (children)
• vṛddha (elderly)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A saint’s compassion begins with attentive questioning; sorrow is met first with understanding and empathy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not yet specified; the question sets the stage for the tīrtha’s later glorification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is direct speech introducing the problem to be remedied through dharmic means.