Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

इन्द्र उवाच । भविष्यति महीपालश्चमत्कार इति स्मृतः । तव मूर्धनि विप्रार्थं स पुरं स्थापयिष्यति

Transliteration

indra uvāca | bhaviṣyati mahīpālaścamatkāra iti smṛtaḥ | tava mūrdhani viprārthaṃ sa puraṃ sthāpayiṣyati

Translation

Indra dit : «Il s’élèvera un roi de la terre, que l’on se souviendra sous le nom de Camatkāra. Pour le bien des brāhmaṇas, il établira une cité sur ton sommet.»

Word by Word

• इन्द्रः: Indra
• इन्द्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• भविष्यति: will be / will happen
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• महीपालः: king (protector of the earth)
• महीपालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही + पाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मही-पालः = पृथिव्याः पालकः)

• चमत्कारः: wonder, marvel
• चमत्कारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चमत्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इत्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• स्मृतः: is called / is remembered as
• स्मृतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘called/remembered’

• तव: of you, your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• मूर्धनि: on (your) head / at the summit
• मूर्धनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्धन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• विप्रार्थम्: for the sake of the Brahmins
• विप्रार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विप्र + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुष (विप्राणाम् अर्थः = विप्रार्थः), क्रियाविशेषणवत् (purpose)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुरम्: city
• पुरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्थापयिष्यति: will establish
• स्थापयिष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: णिजन्त (Causative) धातु; लृट्-लकार (Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Indra (explicit)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-śṛṅga / Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (implied)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: naga-ātmaja (son of the mountain; the peak/hill personified)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra delivers a prophecy to the personified mountain/peak: a future king named Camatkāra will found a city atop the summit for the sake of brāhmaṇas.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Mahīpāla (king)
• Camatkāra
• Vipra (brāhmaṇas)
• Pura (city)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharmic kingship expresses itself through public welfare—founding cities and institutions to support brāhmaṇas and uphold sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The mountain-summit locale in Nāgara Khaṇḍa, Adhyāya 9, destined to become an inhabited sacred center (pura) tied to tīrtha prestige.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed; the dharmic act highlighted is establishing a city ‘for the sake of vipras,’ implying patronage and support of Vedic life.