Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ततः क्रमात्समायातो भ्रममाणो महीतले । चमत्कारपुरे क्षेत्रे नानातीर्थसमाकुले

Transliteration

tataḥ kramātsamāyāto bhramamāṇo mahītale | camatkārapure kṣetre nānātīrthasamākule

Translation

Puis, en son temps, errant sur la surface de la terre, il parvint à la région sacrée de Camatkārapura, un kṣetra foisonnant de nombreux tīrtha.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Temporal (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्-प्रयोग (ablatival adverb: 'then/thereupon')

• kramāt: gradually, in sequence
• kramāt: Manner (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी एकवचन-रूपेण अव्ययीभाव (adverbial ablative): 'in due course/gradually'

• samāyātaḥ: having arrived, came
• samāyātaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-yā (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; धातु: या (to go/come) उपसर्ग: सम्-आ-; अर्थे कर्तरि प्रयोगः

• bhramamāṇaḥ: wandering
• bhramamāṇaḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhram (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; धातु: भ्रम् (to wander)

• mahītale: on the earth’s surface
• mahītale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (mahīyāḥ tala = surface of the earth)

• camatkāra-pure: in Camatkārapura
• camatkāra-pure: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: camatkāra (प्रातिपदिक) + pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (pura), सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (camatkārasya pura)

• kṣetre: in the sacred region/field
• kṣetre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• nānā-tīrtha-samākule: crowded with various sacred fords
• nānā-tīrtha-samākule: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nānā (अव्यय) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + samākula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying kṣetre); समासः—तत्पुरुष (tīrthaiḥ samākula = crowded with tīrthas), पूर्वपद nānā (indeclinable)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; specific speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Camatkārapura-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone or small group pilgrim traverses the earth and reaches a bustling sacred kṣetra labeled Camatkārapura, filled with multiple water-edges, shrines, and pilgrims performing rites at different tīrthas.

Characters & Entities

• Camatkārapura
• kṣetra
• tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is portrayed as a progressive journey where sacred places themselves guide the seeker toward purification and dharmic action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Camatkārapura-kṣetra is introduced as a region renowned for multiple tīrthas, setting the stage for specific rites in nearby sacred spots.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed in this verse; it establishes the pilgrim’s arrival at a tīrtha-rich kṣetra.