Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

तेऽपि सर्वे महात्मानः क्षत्रियास्तत्र संस्थिताः । चक्रुर्धर्मक्रियाः सर्वाः श्रद्धापूतेन चेतसा

Transliteration

te'pi sarve mahātmānaḥ kṣatriyāstatra saṃsthitāḥ | cakrurdharmakriyāḥ sarvāḥ śraddhāpūtena cetasā

Translation

Tous ces nobles kṣatriya, demeurant en ce lieu, accomplirent toutes les observances du dharma, l’esprit purifié par la foi.

Word by Word

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

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta-anvaya (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Nominative plural; विशेषण (ते)

• महात्मानः: great-souled ones
• महात्मानः: Karta-anvaya (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् आत्मा यस्य/महान् आत्मा) ‘great-souled’; Nominative plural

• क्षत्रियाः: kṣatriyas, warriors
• क्षत्रियाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Nominative plural (apposition to ते)

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

• संस्थिताः: stationed, present
• संस्थिताः: Karta-anvaya (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु) → संस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Past participle, nominative plural masculine

• चक्रुः: did, performed
• चक्रुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद; Perfect, 3rd person plural

• धर्मक्रियाः: religious rites
• धर्मक्रियाः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य क्रियाः) ‘rites of dharma’; Accusative plural (object of चक्रुः)

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Karma-anvaya (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative plural; विशेषण (धर्मक्रियाः)

• श्रद्धापूतेन: with (a mind) purified by faith
• श्रद्धापूतेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रद्धा + पूत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘पू’ → पूत; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (श्रद्धया पूतं) ‘purified by faith’; Instrumental singular; विशेषण (चेतसा)

• चेतसा: with mind, by mind
• चेतसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Tīrthamāhātmya; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of Kṣatriyas seated near a tīrtha or in an āśrama courtyard, performing rites—offerings, lamps, and respectful listening—faces calm, hands in ritual gestures, atmosphere of disciplined devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣatriyas
• dharma-kriyā
• śraddhā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual becomes fruitful when performed with śraddhā—faith that purifies intention and transforms action into dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Adhyāya 72 kṣetra; this verse emphasizes the pilgrims’ devotional disposition rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform dharma-kriyā in a tīrtha with śraddhā (faith) as the essential inner qualification.