Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

अथासौ प्रणिपत्योच्चैर्ब्राह्मणो मधुसूदनम् । लक्ष्मीवन्न्यविशत्पार्श्वे गरुडस्य समीपतः

Transliteration

athāsau praṇipatyoccairbrāhmaṇo madhusūdanam | lakṣmīvannyaviśatpārśve garuḍasya samīpataḥ

Translation

Alors ce brāhmaṇa se prosterna profondément devant Madhusūdana et, telle Lakṣmī elle-même, prit place à ses côtés, près de Garuḍa.

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भ/अनन्तरार्थक (indeclinable: then)

• asau: he
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Nominative singular: he/that one)

• praṇipatya: having prostrated
• praṇipatya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra-√nam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive: having bowed down)

• uccaiḥ: aloud / on high
• uccaiḥ: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: uccaiḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: loudly/highly)

• brāhmaṇaḥ: the brahmin
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (Masculine Nominative singular)

• madhusūdanam: Madhusūdana (Viṣṇu)
• madhusūdanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhu + sūdana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; 'मधुं सूदयति' इति उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (Masculine Accusative singular)

• lakṣmī-vān: accompanied by Lakṣmī
• lakṣmī-vān: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lakṣmī + vat (तद्धित-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तद्धितान्त (वत्) 'लक्ष्मी युक्तः' (Masculine Nominative singular: possessing Lakṣmī)

• nyaviśat: entered / took position
• nyaviśat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√viś (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Imperfect, 3rd person singular)

• pārśve: at the side
• pārśve: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (Neuter Locative singular)

• garuḍasya: of Garuḍa
• garuḍasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garuḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन (Masculine Genitive singular)

• samīpataḥ: nearby
• samīpataḥ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samīpatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त, देशवाचक (indeclinable: near/from near)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; not marked in verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa prostrates before Madhusūdana; then sits close by, near Garuḍa, with a composure likened to Lakṣmī’s intimate presence.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Madhusūdana (Viṣṇu)
• Lakṣmī
• Garuḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humility (praṇipāta) and reverent proximity to the divine are marks of bhakti aligned with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it remains within the larger tīrtha-mahātmya storyline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Praṇipāta (bowing/prostration) is shown as a devotional act, though not framed as a formal vow.