Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एवं तत्र स्थिते नित्यं तस्मिन्मातृगणे द्विजाः । बालकानां क्षयो जज्ञे ब्राह्मणानां गृहेगृहे

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | evaṃ tatra sthite nityaṃ tasminmātṛgaṇe dvijāḥ | bālakānāṃ kṣayo jajñe brāhmaṇānāṃ gṛhegṛhe

Translation

ສູຕະໄດ້ກ່າວວ່າ: ໂອ ທ່ານທັງຫຼາຍຜູ້ເປັນດວິຊະ, ເມື່ອຝູງແມ່ເທວະ (ມາຕຣິກາ) ນັ້ນຢູ່ທີ່ນັ້ນຢ່າງຕໍ່ເນື່ອງ, ຄວາມພິນາດແຫ່ງເດັກນ້ອຍໄດ້ເກີດຂຶ້ນ ໃນເຮືອນຂອງພຣາຫມະນະ ເຮືອນແລ້ວເຮືອນເລີຍ।

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (manner adverb: 'thus/in this way')

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb: 'there')

• स्थिते: when (it/they) had remained
• स्थिते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थित (कृदन्त; √स्था)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative); एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• नित्यम्: constantly
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोग (adverbial accusative: 'constantly')

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• मातृगणे: in the group of Mothers (Mātṛs)
• मातृगणे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative); एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (मातॄणां गणः)

• द्विजाः: Brahmins (twice-born)
• द्विजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन

• बालकानाम्: of the children
• बालकानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/Relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive); बहुवचन

• क्षयः: destruction, death
• क्षयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• जज्ञे: arose/occurred
• जज्ञे: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• ब्राह्मणानाम्: of the Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/Relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive); बहुवचन

• गृहे: in (each) house
• गृहे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• गृहे: in every house
• गृहे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative); एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (distributive repetition: 'house to house')

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Camatkāra city (within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra narrative)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvāija-s (assembled brāhmaṇas/śaunakādi audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A city of brāhmaṇa households under a shadow of fear: mothers grieving, empty cradles, while a distant, semi-visible host of Mātṛs stands at the city edge, powerful and unsettling.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Mātṛgaṇa (Mothers)
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When divine forces are unsettled or improperly appeased, social suffering arises—prompting recourse to sacred powers and rightful worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode unfolds within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra / Ambāvṛddhā Māhātmya context of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not yet; the verse sets the crisis that will lead to supplication and remedial rites.