Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीदेव्युवाच । नैतेष्वपि सुरश्रेष्ठ सर्वेषु भुवि मानवाः । अपि दीर्घायुषो भूत्वा स्नातुं शक्ताः कथंचन

Transliteration

śrīdevyuvāca | naiteṣvapi suraśreṣṭha sarveṣu bhuvi mānavāḥ | api dīrghāyuṣo bhūtvā snātuṃ śaktāḥ kathaṃcana

Translation

Sang Dewi bersabda: Wahai yang terbaik di antara para dewa, meski manusia hidup panjang di bumi, mereka tetap tidak mampu, dengan cara apa pun, untuk mandi suci di semua tīrtha ini.

Word by Word

• श्रीदेवी: the revered Goddess
• श्रीदेवी: Karta (Speaker/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय—श्रीरूपा देवी

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

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• एतेषु: among these
• एतेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• सुरश्रेष्ठ: O best of gods
• सुरश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—सुराणां श्रेष्ठः

• सर्वेषु: in all
• सर्वेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• मानवाः: humans
• मानवाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• दीर्घायुषः: long-lived
• दीर्घायुषः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of मानवाः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ + आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष—दीर्घम् आयुः येषाम् (long-lived)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• स्नातुम्: to bathe
• स्नातुम्: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive)

• शक्ताः: able
• शक्ताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of मानवाः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (समर्थाः)

• कथंचन: in any way; somehow
• कथंचन: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथंचन (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Collective Nāgara-khaṇḍa tīrthas (enumerated set)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Suraśreṣṭha (best of gods; not specified in excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī speaks to a great god amid a map-like panorama of many tīrthas—rivers, temples, coasts—while human pilgrims appear small, emphasizing the immensity of sacred geography.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Pārvatī)
• Śiva (addressed as Suraśreṣṭha)
• Tīrthas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tradition acknowledges human limitation and sets up the teaching of concentrated or substitute means to obtain tīrtha-merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named; the verse refers collectively to the many tīrthas previously enumerated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None yet; it is a question that prepares for instruction about essential or summary tīrthas.