Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

हितकृत्सर्वलोकस्य यथा माता यथा पिता । तेन राज्यं समासाद्य पितृपैतामहं शुभम्

Transliteration

hitakṛtsarvalokasya yathā mātā yathā pitā | tena rājyaṃ samāsādya pitṛpaitāmahaṃ śubham

Translation

Il œuvra pour le bien de tous les êtres, tel une mère, tel un père. Ainsi, ayant obtenu le royaume auspiceux hérité de son père et de ses aïeux,

Word by Word

• hitakṛt: benefactor
• hitakṛt: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hita (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛt (कृदन्त; √kṛ + कृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक (कर्तरि कृत्), विशेषण (one who does welfare)

• sarvalokasya: of all the people/world
• sarvalokasya: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yathā: like
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparison marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/तुलनार्थक (as/like)

• mātā: mother
• mātā: Upamāna (Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yathā: like
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparison marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानार्थक (as/like)

• pitā: father
• pitā: Upamāna (Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tena: by him / thereupon
• tena: Karana (Agent/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; तेन = तस्मात्/तदनन्तरं (by him/thereupon)

• rājyam: kingdom
• rājyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• samāsādya: having attained
• samāsādya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sad (धातु) + sam-ā- (उपसर्ग) + lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having obtained/attained)

• pitṛpaitāmaham: ancestral (paternal and grandpaternal)
• pitṛpaitāmaham: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + paitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (ancestral: of father and grandfather)

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (for rājyam)

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ajāpāleśvarī (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Ajāpāla is portrayed as a compassionate ruler caring for all people like mother and father, ascending an auspicious ancestral throne.

Characters & Entities

• Ajāpāla (implied)
• rājya (kingdom)
• sarvaloka (all people)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The ideal king protects and nurtures the people with parental compassion—this is a core expression of rāja-dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly, the verse supports the Ajāpāleśvarī tīrtha narrative by establishing the king’s virtue and authority as founder/patron.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes ethical kingship as the foundation for dharmic acts like establishing sacred sites.