Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नंतरे जातं तत्राश्चर्यं द्विजोत्तमाः । तन्मे निगदतः सर्वं शृण्वंतु सकलं द्विजाः

Transliteration

etasminnaṃtare jātaṃ tatrāścaryaṃ dvijottamāḥ | tanme nigadataḥ sarvaṃ śṛṇvaṃtu sakalaṃ dvijāḥ

Translation

ಈ ನಡುವೆ, ಓ ದ್ವಿಜೋತ್ತಮರೇ, ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯಕರ ಘಟನೆ ಸಂಭವಿಸಿತು. ನಾನು ಹೇಳುವ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ವೃತ್ತಾಂತವನ್ನು, ಓ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರೇ, ಕೇಳಿರಿ।

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular ‘in this’

• अन्तरे: in the meantime
• अन्तरे: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative singular ‘in the interval/meanwhile’

• जातम्: occurred/arose
• जातम्: Kriyā (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि/भूतभावे), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Past participle ‘arisen/occurred’ (neut. nom. sg.)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय — ‘there’

• आश्चर्यम्: a wonder/miracle
• आश्चर्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्चर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative singular

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of Brahmins
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative plural; सम्बोधनार्थे अपि प्रयुज्यते — used as address ‘O best of twice-born’

• तत्: that (event)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• मे: from me/my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी, एकवचन — Gen./Dat. singular ‘of me/to me’ (here: ‘from me’ in sense)

• निगदतः: as I relate
• निगदतः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + गद् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — Present active participle, genitive singular ‘of (me) speaking/telling’

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular; विशेषण of implied ‘वृत्तान्तम्’/‘तत्’

• शृण्वन्तु: let (them) hear
• शृण्वन्तु: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — Imperative, 3rd person plural ‘let them hear’

• सकलम्: entire
• सकलम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular; विशेषण of ‘सर्वम्’/‘तत्’

• द्विजाः: the Brahmins
• द्विजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative plural

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic storyteller addressing brāhmaṇas)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ / dvijottamāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrator addressing an assembly of brāhmaṇas; behind them the prepared pyre and sacred landscape; the sky subtly brightens, foreshadowing a miracle.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred histories are to be heard attentively from a trustworthy narrator, because tīrtha-māhātmya reveals dharma through wondrous, faith-awakening events.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is a narrative transition within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it introduces listening (śravaṇa) to the full account, which itself is treated as meritorious in Purāṇic tradition.