Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एवमुक्तोऽथ विप्रः स तत्क्षणात्कन्यया सह । आरूढो गारुडं पृष्ठं वरार्थाय द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | evamukto'tha vipraḥ sa tatkṣaṇātkanyayā saha | ārūḍho gāruḍaṃ pṛṣṭhaṃ varārthāya dvijottamāḥ

Translation

សូតៈបានមានព្រះវាចា៖ ដូច្នេះ ព្រាហ្មណ៍នោះបានទទួលពាក្យហើយ ភ្លាមៗក៏ជាមួយកញ្ញា ឡើងលើខ្នងគរុឌៈ ដើម្បីស្វែងរកស្វាមីដ៏សមគួរ។

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Speaker/वक्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (charioteer; narrator Sūta)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (said)

• evam: thus
• evam: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = thus

• uktaḥ: having been addressed
• uktaḥ: Karta (Predicate participle/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘said/spoken to’

• atha: then
• atha: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) = then/now

• vipraḥ: the brahmin
• vipraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (brahmin)

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

• tatkṣaṇāt: immediately, from that moment
• tatkṣaṇāt: Adhikarana (Temporal point/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat-kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/ablative), एकवचन; समासः: तत् + क्षण (at that very moment/from that instant)

• kanyayā: with the maiden
• kanyayā: Sahakāraka (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन (with the maiden)

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakāraka (Association/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सह-योगे) = postposition ‘with’

• ārūḍhaḥ: mounted
• ārūḍhaḥ: Karta (Predicate participle/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√ruh (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘mounted/ascended’

• gāruḍam: of Garuḍa
• gāruḍam: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gāruḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (agreeing with पृष्ठम्)

• pṛṣṭham: the back
• pṛṣṭham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (back)

• varārthāya: for obtaining a groom
• varārthāya: Sampradana (Purpose/प्रयोजन-सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara-artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/dative), एकवचन; समासः: वरस्य अर्थः (for the sake of a bridegroom/boon)

• dvijottamaḥ: the best brahmin
• dvijottamaḥ: Karta (Apposition to vipraḥ/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija-uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: द्विजः एव उत्तमः (best of brahmins)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta narrator)

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• Kanyā (maiden)
• Garuḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma-driven action is undertaken swiftly and with faith—here, a righteous quest is supported by divine means (Garuḍa).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse initiates a travel-episode within the Tīrthamāhātmya; the specific kṣetra is clarified in later verses of the passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the focus is on the dhārmic undertaking (vara-anveṣaṇa) and sacred travel.