Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । तथाऽन्यापि च तत्रास्ति देवता द्विजसत्तमाः । अजागृहेति विख्याता सर्वरोगक्षयावहा

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | tathā'nyāpi ca tatrāsti devatā dvijasattamāḥ | ajāgṛheti vikhyātā sarvarogakṣayāvahā

Translation

Sūta berkata: Wahai para dvija yang utama, di sana ada pula satu devatā lain, termasyhur bernama Ajāgṛhā, yang melenyapkan segala penyakit.

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — वक्ता (speaker)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘said’

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: likewise/so)

• anyā: another
• anyā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — विशेषणम् (qualifying devatā)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-कारक-अव्यय (particle: also)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• asti: exists
• asti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘is/exists’

• devatā: a deity
• devatā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘deity’

• dvija-sattamāḥ: O best of the twice-born
• dvija-sattamāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), बहुवचन — ‘O best of twice-born’

• ajāgṛhā: Ajāgṛhā (name)
• ajāgṛhā: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ajā (प्रातिपदिक) + gṛhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — नाम (proper name): ‘Ajāgṛhā’

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

• vikhyātā: well-known
• vikhyātā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-khyā (ख्या धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — विशेषणम् (qualifying devatā): ‘well-known’

• sarva-roga-kṣaya-āvahā: bringing the end of all diseases
• sarva-roga-kṣaya-āvahā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + roga (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक) + āvahā (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक from ā-√vah)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — विशेषणम् (qualifying devatā): ‘bringing destruction of all diseases’

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ajāgṛhā-devatā within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijasattamāḥ (best of the twice-born sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta addresses the sages; the narrative ‘camera’ shifts to reveal Ajāgṛhā as a healing deity within the kṣetra—depicted as a protective divine presence near a shrine, with supplicants seeking relief from disease.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Ajāgṛhā (deity)
• Dvijas (brāhmaṇas)
• Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (implied 'there')

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are portrayed as compassionate—manifesting deities whose grace removes suffering such as disease.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same sacred locale of the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya in Nāgara Khaṇḍa, where Ajāgṛhā is said to reside.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it introduces the deity and her healing power.