Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

अथ तस्य समालोक्य तादृशं तद्विचेष्टितम् । पृष्टः स कौतुकाविष्टैः पितृमातृसुतादिभिः

Transliteration

atha tasya samālokya tādṛśaṃ tadviceṣṭitam | pṛṣṭaḥ sa kautukāviṣṭaiḥ pitṛmātṛsutādibhiḥ

Translation

Puis, voyant une telle conduite de sa part, il fut interrogé par son père, sa mère, ses fils et d’autres, tous saisis de curiosité.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक (then)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन

• समालोक्य: having observed
• समालोक्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आलोक् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive); पूर्वकालिक (having observed/seen)

• तादृशम्: such, of that kind
• तादृशम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तादृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying तद्विचेष्टितम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण (in compound sense with विचेष्टितम्)

• विचेष्टितम्: conduct/behavior (what was done)
• विचेष्टितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि + चेष्ट् (धातु) → विचेष्टित (कृत-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle used substantively)

• पृष्टः: was asked
• पृष्टः: Kriya (Main predicate in passive/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु) → पृष्ट (कृत-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; भूतकालिक कर्मणि/भावे; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन (was asked)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Grammatical subject of passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• कौतुकाविष्टैः: by those filled with curiosity
• कौतुकाविष्टैः: Karana (Instrument/Agent-group in passive/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कौतुकाविष्ट (प्रातिपदिक; कौतुक + आविष्ट)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying पितृमातृसुतादिभिः)

• पितृमातृसुतादिभिः: by father, mother, son, and others
• पितृमातृसुतादिभिः: Karana (Agent-group in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ + मातृ + सुत + आदि (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन; 'आदि' समाहार/समुच्चयार्थ (and others)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Tīrthamāhātmya; likely Skanda)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A household group—father, mother, sons, relatives—gathers around the protagonist after witnessing his rites; their faces show curiosity and mild astonishment; the setting hints at a sacred locale.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharmic acts often invite inquiry; Purāṇic narratives use such questioning to reveal deeper reasons behind righteous conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it functions as narrative transition within the broader Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new prescription—this verse introduces dialogue about the already-performed pretakārya.