Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

गत्वा निजपुरं सोपि स्वोद्यानेऽस्थापयत्तदा । ततः कालेन महता प्रचारं सा गता क्षितौ

Transliteration

gatvā nijapuraṃ sopi svodyāne'sthāpayattadā | tataḥ kālena mahatā pracāraṃ sā gatā kṣitau

Translation

彼は自らの都へ帰り、それを自分の園に植えた。やがて長い歳月のうちに、それは大地の上に広く広がっていった。

Word by Word

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• निजपुरम्: to his own city
• निजपुरम्: Karma (Goal as object with motion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज + पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (निजं पुरम्)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• स्वउद्याने: in his own garden
• स्वउद्याने: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + उद्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वस्य उद्यानम्)

• अस्थापयत्: caused to be placed, planted
• अस्थापयत्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + स्था (धातु) (णिच् causative)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय

• ततः: thereafter, then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) अपादान/क्रमसूचक

• कालेन: with time, in the course of time
• कालेन: Kala (Time as instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महता: great, long (time)
• महता: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘कालेन’ इति विशेषण

• प्रचारम्: spread, circulation
• प्रचारम्: Karma (Object/Extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सा: she (that vine)
• सा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गता: went, spread
• गता: Kriya (Result/state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियापदवत् (finite sense)

• क्षितौ: on the earth
• क्षितौ: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king returns to his city, plants the nāgavallī in his palace garden; seasons pass in a montage-like progression as the vine spreads, eventually reaching across the land through cuttings and trade routes.

Characters & Entities

• kṣiti (earth)
• nāgavallī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Small beginnings (a single planting) can lead to vast social consequences over time—setting up the later dharmic critique.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it narrates propagation in the human realm.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is descriptive (planting/propagation), not a dharma-vidhi.