Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । कस्मात्सा तुष्टिदा प्रोक्ता नागराणां विशेषतः । धारानामेति विख्याता कस्मात्सा धरणीतले

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | kasmātsā tuṣṭidā proktā nāgarāṇāṃ viśeṣataḥ | dhārānāmeti vikhyātā kasmātsā dharaṇītale

Translation

ઋષિઓએ કહ્યું—નાગરો માટે વિશેષ કરીને તેણીને ‘તુષ્ટિદા’ એટલે સંતોષ આપનારી કેમ કહેવામાં આવી? અને ધરતી પર તેણી ‘ધારા’ નામે કેમ પ્રસિદ્ધ થઈ?

Word by Word

• ṛṣayaḥ: the sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• kasmāt: from what cause? / why?
• kasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• sā: she / that (lady/city)
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tuṣṭidā: giver of satisfaction
• tuṣṭidā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tuṣṭi-dā (प्रातिपदिक; तुष्टि + दा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• proktā: is called / was said
• proktā: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prokta (कृदन्त; √vac धातु, प्र-उपसर्ग)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भूतकृत्-प्रत्यय (past passive participle)

• nāgarāṇām: of the Nāgaras
• nāgarāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्ययभावे तसिल् (adverb: especially)

• dhārā: Dhārā
• dhārā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhārā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Sambandha (Appositive marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-शब्दः (naming particle)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-समाप्तिसूचक

• vikhyātā: is renowned
• vikhyātā: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-khyāta (कृदन्त; √khyā धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भूतकृत् (past passive participle)

• kasmāt: why?
• kasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• sā: she / it
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• dharaṇītale: on the surface of the earth
• dharaṇītale: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharaṇī-tala (प्रातिपदिक; धरणी + तल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dhārā; epithet Tuṣṭidā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta (implied respondent in the frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of sages (ṛṣis) pose questions to the narrator; behind them a faint vision of a sacred town/river labeled Dhārā; the mood is inquisitive and devotional.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Tuṣṭidā
• Dhārā
• Nāgaras
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred names are not ornamental; they encode lived spiritual experience and the specific blessings a deity grants in a place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dhārā-associated sacred region introduced in the preceding Dhārotpatti Māhātmya and continued here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse initiates an explanatory account (māhātmya) behind the deity’s names and benefits.