Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

चमत्कारपुरे क्षेत्रे पीठे तत्र द्विजोत्तमाः । महाकालस्य देवस्य पुरतो रात्रिजागरम् । करोति श्रद्धया युक्तः सभार्यः स महीपतिः

Transliteration

camatkārapure kṣetre pīṭhe tatra dvijottamāḥ | mahākālasya devasya purato rātrijāgaram | karoti śraddhayā yuktaḥ sabhāryaḥ sa mahīpatiḥ

Translation

ಹೇ ದ್ವಿಜೋತ್ತಮರೇ! ಚಮತ್ಕಾರಪುರ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದ ಆ ಪೀಠದಲ್ಲಿ, ಆ ಮಹೀಪತಿ ಪತ್ನಿಯೊಡನೆ ಮಹಾಕಾಲ ದೇವರ ಮುಂದೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರದ್ಧೆಯಿಂದ ರಾತ್ರಿಜಾಗರಣ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದನು.

Word by Word

• चमत्कारपुरे: in Camatkārapura
• चमत्कारपुरे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: camatkāra + pura (चमत्कार प्रातिपदिक + पुर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), सप्तमी (Loc./7th), एकवचन (sg.); तत्पुरुष-समास (चमत्कारस्य पुरम्)

• क्षेत्रे: in the sacred field
• क्षेत्रे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (क्षेत्र प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), सप्तमी (Loc./7th), एकवचन (sg.)

• पीठे: at the shrine/seat
• पीठे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pīṭha (पीठ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), सप्तमी (Loc./7th), एकवचन (sg.)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण/adverb of place)

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of Brahmins
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana/Address (Vocative sense in context/सम्बोधनार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + uttama (द्विज प्रातिपदिक + उत्तम प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom./1st), बहुवचन (pl.); कर्मधारय-समास (उत्तमा द्विजाः)

• महाकालस्य: of Mahākāla
• महाकालस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + kāla (महा प्रातिपदिक + काल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), षष्ठी (Gen./6th), एकवचन (sg.); कर्मधारय-समास (महान् कालः)

• देवस्य: of the god
• देवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (देव प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), षष्ठी (Gen./6th), एकवचन (sg.)

• पुरतः: in front of
• पुरतः: Adhikaraṇa (Spatial relation/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपसर्गसदृश/पूर्वसर्ग; स्थानवाचक—‘in front of’)

• रात्रिजागरम्: night vigil
• रात्रिजागरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri + jāgara (रात्रि प्रातिपदिक + जागर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया (Acc./2nd), एकवचन (sg.); तत्पुरुष-समास (रात्रौ जागरम्)

• करोति: does/performs
• करोति: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (sg.)

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karaṇa (Means/Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śraddhā (श्रद्धा प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), तृतीया (Instr./3rd), एकवचन (sg.)

• युक्तः: endowed/engaged
• युक्तः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective of mahīpatiḥ/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yukta (√yuj/युज् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom./1st), एकवचन (sg.); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त

• सभार्यः: with (his) wife
• सभार्यः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective of mahīpatiḥ/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa + bhāryā (स- उपसर्गसदृश + भार्या प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom./1st), एकवचन (sg.); तत्पुरुष-समास (भार्यया सहितः)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom./1st), एकवचन (sg.)

• महीपतिः: the king/lord of the earth
• महीपतिः: Karta (Subject apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī + pati (मही प्रातिपदिक + पति प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom./1st), एकवचन (sg.); तत्पुरुष-समास (महीनां पतिः)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Camatkārapura

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijoत्तमāḥ (addressed audience: ‘O best of twice-born’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside the sanctified pīṭha of Camatkārapura, the king and queen stand before Mahākāla’s shrine through the night, lamps flickering, priests and brāhmaṇas nearby, the atmosphere dense with devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Camatkārapura
• Mahākāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faithful wakeful worship (jāgaraṇa) before Śiva is presented as a powerful act of devotion within tīrtha-māhātmya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Camatkārapura kṣetra and its pīṭha, where Mahākāla is worshipped, is explicitly named.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Rātri-jāgara: keeping a night vigil in the presence of Mahākāla, performed with śraddhā and (here) together with one’s spouse.