Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

अस्ति भूभितले ख्याता मधुराख्या महापुरी । नानाविप्रसमाकीर्णा यमुनातटसंश्रया

Transliteration

asti bhūbhitale khyātā madhurākhyā mahāpurī | nānāviprasamākīrṇā yamunātaṭasaṃśrayā

Translation

Sur la face de la terre se trouve une grande cité renommée, appelée Madhurā, foisonnante de nombreux brāhmaṇas et établie sur la rive de la Yamunā.

Word by Word

• अस्ति: there is
• अस्ति: Kriya (Existential/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भूभितले: on the surface of the earth
• भूभितले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू + भितल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; समासः—भूः (पृथ्वी) + भितलम् (surface) = भूभितलम्

• ख्याता: renowned
• ख्याता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘renowned’

• मधुराख्या: named ‘Mathurā’
• मधुराख्या: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मधुरा + आख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—मधुरा इति आख्या यस्याः (नाम)

• महापुरी: great city
• महापुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—महती पुरी

• नाना: various
• नाना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाना (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषणार्थ ‘various’ (पूर्वपदत्वेन)

• विप्रसमाकीर्णा: filled with brāhmaṇas
• विप्रसमाकीर्णा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विप्र + सम् + आ + कीर् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—विप्रैः समाकीर्णा

• यमुनातटसंश्रया: situated on the bank of the Yamunā
• यमुनातटसंश्रया: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यमुना + तट + सम् + श्रि (धातु) + अ (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—यमुनायाः तटम् आश्रयः यस्याः (संश्रया = आश्रिता)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from narrative context; explicit speaker appears at 8 as “Sūta uvāca”)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Madhurā (Mathurā) / Yamunā-tīra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic view of Madhurā: ghāṭas along the Yamunā, temples and spires, Brahmins in white performing sandhyā and reciting Veda, pilgrims arriving with offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Madhurā
• Yamunā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy geography matters in Purāṇic dharma: a sacred city on a sacred river-bank is presented as an auspicious setting for merit and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Madhurā (Mathurā) on the bank of the river Yamunā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse establishes the sacred locale (Madhurā on the Yamunā) as the foundation for the narrative.