Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

स गच्छन्मरुमार्गेण मां समादाय स्नेहतः । संप्राप्तो निर्जलं देशं सुरौद्रं मरुमंडलम्

Transliteration

sa gacchanmarumārgeṇa māṃ samādāya snehataḥ | saṃprāpto nirjalaṃ deśaṃ suraudraṃ marumaṃḍalam

Translation

Saat ia menempuh jalan padang pasir, karena kasih sayang ia membawaku serta. Ia pun sampai ke negeri tanpa air—lingkaran gurun yang amat ganas dan menggetarkan.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — he

• gacchan: going
• gacchan: Karta (Agent participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gacchat (कृदन्त; √gam (गम्) शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — going/while going

• maru-mārgeṇa: by the desert route
• maru-mārgeṇa: Karana (Instrument/Path/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maru (प्रातिपदिक) + mārga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — by the desert-path

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया, एकवचन — me

• samādāya: having taken (me) along
• samādāya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (दा) with sam-ā- (समादाय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive) — having taken along

• snehataḥ: out of affection
• snehataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sneha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) — out of affection/from love

• saṃprāptaḥ: reached
• saṃprāptaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃprāpta (कृदन्त; √āp (आप्) with sam-pra)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — arrived/reached

• nirjalam: waterless
• nirjalam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir-jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'deśam' इति विशेष्येण सह — waterless

• deśam: region/country
• deśam: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — (to) a region

• sura-udram: very fierce
• sura-udram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक) + udra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'marumaṃḍalam' इति विशेष्येण सह — extremely fierce/terrible (lit. god-fierce)

• maru-maṃḍalam: desert tract
• maru-maṃḍalam: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maru (प्रातिपदिक) + maṃḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — desert-region

Speaker

Unspecified narrator within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A couple travels with sparse baggage across a blazing desert; heat haze rises; cracked earth and dunes surround them; the woman looks weary yet steadfast, the husband supportive.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma and devotion are tested in harsh landscapes; the narrative prepares for the revelation of a saving tīrtha or sacred water in adversity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears yet; the verse sets the scene in a desert expanse where a water-source will become spiritually significant.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is narrative context describing travel through a desert.