Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

। सूत उवाच । तत्र विष्णुपदं नाम तीर्थं तीर्थे शुभे स्थितम् । अपरं ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठाः सर्वपातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

| sūta uvāca | tatra viṣṇupadaṃ nāma tīrthaṃ tīrthe śubhe sthitam | aparaṃ brāhmaṇaśreṣṭhāḥ sarvapātakanāśanam

Translation

ಸೂತನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಆ ಶುಭ ತೀರ್ಥಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ‘ವಿಷ್ಣುಪದ’ ಎಂಬ ತೀರ್ಥವಿದೆ; ಹೇ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠರೇ, ಅದು ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ತೀರ್ಥ, ಸರ್ವ ಪಾತಕಗಳನ್ನು ನಾಶಮಾಡುವುದು।

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक-अव्यय

• विष्णु-पदम्: (the) Viṣṇupada
• विष्णु-पदम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive-determinative: 'Viṣṇu's place/footprint'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नाम: named/called
• नाम: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-निपात (quotative/‘called’)

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तीर्थे: in the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• शुभे: auspicious
• शुभे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्थितम्: situated
• स्थितम्: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थित (कृदन्त; √स्था (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: भूतकृत्-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपरम्: another
• अपरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (here: predicate/apposition)

• ब्राह्मण-श्रेष्ठाः: O best Brahmins
• ब्राह्मण-श्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (vocative sense: 'best of Brahmins'); पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), बहुवचन

• सर्व-पातक-नाशनम्: destroying all sins
• सर्व-पातक-नाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'destroyer of all sins'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (predicate of tīrtham)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viṣṇupada

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa-ṛṣis (dvijottamāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta addressing assembled sages; behind him a serene ford with a stone bearing a footprint emblem (pada), pilgrims approaching with offerings; the landscape feels ‘śubha’ and consecrated.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Viṣṇu
• Viṣṇupada-tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a divinely marked tirtha, approached with reverence, is praised as a powerful means of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viṣṇupada-tīrtha, a sacred ford associated with the ‘Footprint/Step’ of Lord Viṣṇu.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed in this verse; it introduces the tirtha and its sin-destroying merit.