Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

ततस्ते प्रणिपत्योच्चैः प्रोचुर्देवं पितामहम् । स्थानं दर्शय नस्तात तपोऽर्थं कलिवर्जितम्

Transliteration

tataste praṇipatyoccaiḥ procurdevaṃ pitāmaham | sthānaṃ darśaya nastāta tapo'rthaṃ kalivarjitam

Translation

Alors ils se prosternèrent et dirent à haute voix au divin Pitāmaha (Brahmā) : «Père bien-aimé, montre-nous un lieu pour l’austérité, exempt de la souillure de Kali.»

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Kāla/Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = 'thereupon/then'

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे (सामान्यतः), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• praṇipatya: having prostrated
• praṇipatya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra-√nam (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) = 'having bowed down'

• uccaiḥ: aloud, loudly
• uccaiḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: uccais (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण)

• procuḥ: they said
• procuḥ: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• devam: the god
• devam: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• pitāmaham: Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• pitāmaham: Karman (Appositional object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (देवं पितामहम् = 'the god Pitāmaha')

• sthānam: place
• sthānam: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• darśaya: show
• darśaya: Kriyā (Imperative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु) + णिच्
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; णिजन्त = 'cause to see/show'

• naḥ: to us, for us
• naḥ: Sampradāna (Beneficiary)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (enclitic) = 'of us/for us'

• tāta: O dear father/sir
• tāta: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tapaḥ-artham: for austerity
• tapaḥ-artham: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/चतुर्थीभावः: 'for the purpose of tapas'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kali-varjitam: free from Kali (age/evil)
• kali-varjitam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक) + varjita (√vṛj/√varj + क्त, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारयभावः/उपपद: 'devoid of Kali'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणं 'sthānam'

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (reporting the speech of the Vālakhilya sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of small ascetic sages (Vālakhilyas) bow with folded hands before four-faced Brahmā, requesting a Kali-free place for austerity; the setting hints at a sacred grove near a tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Vālakhilya sages
• Kali (Kaliyuga principle)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sages seek environments that support dharma; sacred geography is valued as a practical aid to tapas and spiritual steadiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A ‘Kali-free’ place is requested, but the verse does not name the site; it sets up the forthcoming tīrtha identification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is the stated spiritual practice, and the prescription is to choose a kalivarjita (Kali-avoiding) sacred place for it.