Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

अत्र वः कीर्तयिष्यामि पुरावृत्तं कथानकम् । यद्वृत्तं नैमिषारण्ये लुब्धकस्यात्र कस्यचित्

Transliteration

atra vaḥ kīrtayiṣyāmi purāvṛttaṃ kathānakam | yadvṛttaṃ naimiṣāraṇye lubdhakasyātra kasyacit

Translation

いま、汝らに古き因縁の物語を語ろう――ナイミシャーラニヤの森で、ある猟師に起こった出来事である。

Word by Word

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), देशवाचक

• वः: to you; for you
• वः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Gen./Dat.), बहुवचन; एन्क्लिटिक रूप

• कीर्तयिष्यामि: I shall narrate; proclaim
• कीर्तयिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कीर्तय् (धातु) [कीर्त्/कीर्तन-धातु, परस्मैपद]
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• पुरावृत्तम्: an ancient event
• पुरावृत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय) + वृत्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (पुरा वृत्तम् = formerly happened)

• कथानकम्: a tale; story
• कथानकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथानक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• वृत्तम्: happened; occurred
• वृत्तम्: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• नैमिषारण्ये: in the Naimiṣa forest
• नैमिषारण्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैमिष (प्रातिपदिक) + अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (नैमिषम् अरण्यम्)

• लुब्धकस्य: of a hunter
• लुब्धकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लुब्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), पुनरुक्त-देशवाचक

• कस्यचित्: of some (one)
• कस्यचित्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

Speaker

Narrator (deduced; transition into a well-known Śivarātri hunter story)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Naimiṣāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: assembled listeners (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrator begins an ancient tale set in the holy forest of Naimiṣa, evoking sages, sacrificial fires, and the hush of a sacred grove before introducing a hunter’s episode.

Characters & Entities

• Naimiṣāraṇya
• Lubdhaka (hunter)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching often uses exemplary stories; even unlikely persons can be uplifted through contact with sacred observance and place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Naimiṣāraṇya is explicitly mentioned as the setting of the forthcoming episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription in this verse; it introduces a narrative that will illustrate Śivarātri’s power and dharmic merit.