Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

अद्य गच्छ द्रुतं दूत मथुराख्यां महापुरीम् । आनयस्व द्विजश्रेष्ठं तस्यां गोकर्णसंज्ञकम्

Transliteration

adya gaccha drutaṃ dūta mathurākhyāṃ mahāpurīm | ānayasva dvijaśreṣṭhaṃ tasyāṃ gokarṇasaṃjñakam

Translation

ಇಂದೇ ತ್ವರೆಯಿಂದ ಹೋಗು, ಓ ದೂತ, ಮಥುರಾ ಎಂಬ ಮಹಾಪುರಿಗೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವ ದ್ವಿಜಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ‘ಗೋಕರ್ಣ’ನನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕರೆತರು.

Word by Word

• अद्य: today
• अद्य: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: today)

• गच्छ: go
• गच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद

• द्रुतम्: quickly
• द्रुतम्: Kriya-vishesana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्रुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: quickly)

• दूत: O messenger
• दूत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन

• मथुराख्याम्: called Mathurā
• मथुराख्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मथुरा + आख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• महापुरीम्: the great city
• महापुरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• आनयस्व: bring (here)
• आनयस्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + नी (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• द्विजश्रेष्ठम्: the best of the twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विजश्रेष्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• तस्याम्: in that (city)
• तस्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन

• गोकर्णसंज्ञकम्: named Gokarṇa
• गोकर्णसंज्ञकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोकर्ण + संज्ञक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

Speaker

Yama

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mathurā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis at Naimiṣāraṇya (standard Purāṇic frame; not explicit in this verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stern divine courtly atmosphere: Yama dispatches a swift messenger toward the famed city of Mathurā to bring a brāhmaṇa named Gokarṇa.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yamadūta
• Mathurā
• Gokarṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human life is portrayed as measured and accountable; Yama’s command reflects the Purāṇic view that lifespan and death occur within a moral-cosmic framework.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mathurā (Madhurā), addressed as a mahāpurī (great sacred city).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a divine directive initiating the episode.