Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

अथ कस्मिन्कथांते स तैः पृष्टो ब्रह्मवादिभिः । कौतुकाविष्टचित्तैश्च विस्मयोत्फुल्ललोचनैः

Transliteration

atha kasminkathāṃte sa taiḥ pṛṣṭo brahmavādibhiḥ | kautukāviṣṭacittaiśca vismayotphullalocanaiḥ

Translation

Alors, à la fin d’un certain entretien, il fut interrogé par ces doctes expositeurs du Brahman, l’esprit saisi de curiosité et les yeux grands ouverts d’émerveillement.

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse-link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्धबोधक/अनन्तरार्थक) = indeclinable particle; अर्थे: अनन्तरम् (then)

• kasmin: in which (context)
• kasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• kathā-ante: at the end of the story
• kathā-ante: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā-anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; समास: कथा + अन्त (तत्पुरुष)

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

• taiḥ: by them
• taiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• pṛṣṭaḥ: asked
• pṛṣṭaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pṛcch (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थे: ‘asked’

• brahmavādibhiḥ: by the expounders of Brahman
• brahmavādibhiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmavādin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन; समास: ब्रह्म + वादिन् (तत्पुरुष)

• kautuka-āviṣṭa-cittaiḥ: by those whose minds were seized by curiosity
• kautuka-āviṣṭa-cittaiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kautuka + āviṣṭa + citta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन; समास: कौतुक + आविष्ट + चित्त (बहुपद-तत्पुरुष), विशेषण

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) = conjunction

• vismaya-utphulla-locanaiḥ: by those with eyes widened in wonder
• vismaya-utphulla-locanaiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vismaya + utphulla + locana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन; समास: विस्मय + उत्फुल्ल + लोचन (बहुपद-तत्पुरुष), विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (narrator, implied)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: O king (nṛpa) addressed in the narrative frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up of sages with widened, wonder-filled eyes; one sage leans forward to question the king; the king sits composed, ready to answer; the liṅga and lamps witness the exchange.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmavādins (learned sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverent inquiry—especially in a sacred setting—opens the way for revealing dharmic and tīrtha-related truths.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative remains within a Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha centered on a Śiva-liṅga; the exact site is not named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse introduces a formal questioning (praśna) as part of sacred discourse.