Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

इत्येष निनदस्तत्र श्रूयते सततं महान् । यज्ञवाटे सदा तस्मिन्नान्यश्चैव कदाचन

Transliteration

ityeṣa ninadastatra śrūyate satataṃ mahān | yajñavāṭe sadā tasminnānyaścaiva kadācana

Translation

Tel était le grand cri que l’on entendait là, sans cesse, dans l’enceinte du yajña ; et jamais, à aucun moment, on n’y entendit un autre appel.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• eṣaḥ: this
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ninadaḥ: sound, roar
• ninadaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ninada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• śrūyate: is heard
• śrūyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• satataṃ: constantly
• satataṃ: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: satata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययभावेन प्रयुक्तम्; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• mahān: great, loud
• mahān: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ninadaḥ)

• yajñavāṭe: in the sacrificial enclosure
• yajñavāṭe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña-vāṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (yajñasya vāṭaḥ)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• tasmin: in that (place)
• tasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• anyaḥ: another (one)
• anyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (elliptic: anyaḥ ninadaḥ)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed, at all
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• kadācana: ever, at any time
• kadācana: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācana (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (indefinite temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Purāṇic narration in Māhātmya context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast yajña-enclosure with orderly priests; a single dominant sacred cry/chant reverberates continuously, while the rest of the space remains hushed and disciplined.

Characters & Entities

• Yajñavāṭa (sacrificial enclosure)
• ninada (acclamation)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

At the heart of tīrtha-dharma is sustained compassion—where giving and feeding become the dominant ‘sound’ of righteousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The sacrificial enclosure within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya setting is glorified; the exact toponym is not stated in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new procedure; it emphasizes the uninterrupted practice of dāna/annadāna as the defining conduct within the yajña-vāṭa.