Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

चमत्कारपुरेक्षेत्रे विविशुस्ते ततः परम् । ददृशुः सहसा प्राप्तं परिव्राजं शुनोमुखम्

Transliteration

camatkārapurekṣetre viviśuste tataḥ param | dadṛśuḥ sahasā prāptaṃ parivrājaṃ śunomukham

Translation

Puis ils entrèrent dans le kṣetra sacré de Cāmatkārapura. Là, ils virent soudain un mendiant errant qui venait d’arriver : Śunomukha.

Word by Word

• चमत्कारपुरे: in the city named Camatkāra
• चमत्कारपुरे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चमत्कार (प्रातिपदिक) + पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (चमत्कारस्य पुरम्)

• क्षेत्रे: in the sacred place/field
• क्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• विविशुः: entered
• विविशुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + विश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ततः: then/from there
• ततः: Apādāna/Krama (From/Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रमवाचक (from there/then)

• परम्: further/afterwards
• परम्: Krama (Sequence/क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (adverbial accusative); ‘further/afterwards’

• ददृशुः: saw
• ददृशुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• सहसा: suddenly
• सहसा: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहसा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आकस्मिकतावाचक क्रियाविशेषण (suddenly)

• प्राप्तम्: arrived
• प्राप्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘arrived’ (qualifying परिव्राजम्)

• परिव्राजम्: a wandering ascetic
• परिव्राजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परि + व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; परिव्राजक (wandering ascetic)

• शुनोमुखम्: dog-faced
• शुनोमुखम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुन्/श्वन् (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (शुनः मुखं यस्य) विशेषणम् (परिव्राजम्)

Speaker

Narrative voice

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cāmatkārapura

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A travel party enters the boundary of Cāmatkārapura-kṣetra; at that very moment a parivrājaka, Śunomukha, arrives unexpectedly—staff and begging bowl in hand—creating a sense of auspicious surprise.

Characters & Entities

• Cāmatkārapura
• Śunomukha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage unfolds through encounters with holy persons; saints and mendicants become gateways to deeper tīrtha-knowledge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Cāmatkārapura-kṣetra is explicitly mentioned as the sacred locale entered by the travelers.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it sets the scene for a tīrtha-episode and a meeting with an ascetic.