Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

। ऋषय ऊचुः । माहित्थेयं त्वयाख्याता या पुरा सूतनन्दन । केन संस्थापिता तत्र वद सर्वमशेषतः

Transliteration

| ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | māhittheyaṃ tvayākhyātā yā purā sūtanandana | kena saṃsthāpitā tatra vada sarvamaśeṣataḥ

Translation

Les sages dirent : «Ô fils de Sūta, tu nous as jadis exposé cette Māhitthī. Par qui fut-elle établie en ce lieu ? Dis-nous tout intégralement, sans rien omettre.»

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• माहित्थेयम्: (this) Māhittheya (topic/legend)
• माहित्थेयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहित्थेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• आख्याता: was narrated/told
• आख्याता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle/क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (विद्या/कथा इत्यादि स्त्रीलिङ्ग-शब्दस्य विशेषणरूपेण)

• या: which
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• सूतनन्दन: O son of Sūta
• सूतनन्दन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत + नन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सूतस्य नन्दनः)

• केन: by whom/with what
• केन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• संस्थापिता: was established
• संस्थापिता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle/क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (या इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• वद: tell
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• अशेषतः: completely, without remainder
• अशेषतः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अशेष (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तद्धितान्त-अव्यय (adverbial formation), प्रकारवाचक

Speaker

Ṛṣis (sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Māhitthī / Māhittha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta-nandana (respondent in subsequent verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest hermitage assembly: seated ṛṣis with matted hair and deer-skins address Sūta’s son, requesting the complete origin of Māhitthī; palm-leaf manuscripts and a sacrificial fire nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Sūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is preserved through attentive listening and inquiry; seekers ask for the full origin-story to understand a tīrtha’s power and proper reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Māhittha/Māhitthī is the focal sacred subject being asked about; the verse frames its establishment as a matter of tīrtha-mahātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse is a narrative inquiry requesting the complete account of installation/establishment (saṃsthāpanā).