Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । आसीत्पूर्वं कृतिर्नाम शुनःशेपसमुद्भवः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | āsītpūrvaṃ kṛtirnāma śunaḥśepasamudbhavaḥ

Translation

Sūta dit : Jadis, il y eut un homme nommé Kṛti, né dans la lignée de Śunaḥśepa.

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• āsīt: there was
• āsīt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• pūrvam: formerly/previously
• pūrvam: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• kṛtiḥ: (a person named) Kṛti
• kṛtiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नामार्थक-अव्यय (indeclinable used to indicate name: 'named')

• śunaḥśepa-samudbhavaḥ: born of Śunaḥśepa
• śunaḥśepa-samudbhavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śunaḥśepa (प्रातिपदिक) + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: शुनःशेपसमुद्भव (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'शुनःशेपस्य समुद्भवः' = born of Śunaḥśepa), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (predicate adjective) कृतिः इति

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/Ṛṣis (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta in a forest-assembly of sages begins a lineage account, naming Kṛti of Śunaḥśepa’s line; palm-leaf manuscripts, seated ṛṣis, calm didactic atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Kṛti
• Śunaḥśepa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred-site traditions are anchored in remembered lineages and exemplary figures whose stories explain later installations and rituals.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative is set to explain events connected with Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra, continuing the chapter’s site-mahātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse begins a background account (pūrvavṛtta) introducing Kṛti.