Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

उचितज्ञो विवेकस्य निवासो गुणसागरः । न तदस्ति धरापृष्ठे नगरं ग्रामपत्तनम्

Transliteration

ucitajño vivekasya nivāso guṇasāgaraḥ | na tadasti dharāpṛṣṭhe nagaraṃ grāmapattanam

Translation

അവൻ യുക്തമായതു അറിയുന്നവൻ, വിവേകത്തിന്റെ നിവാസം, ഗുണസാഗരം. ഭൂമിയുടെ മേൽ നഗരമോ ഗ്രാമമോ പട്ടണമോ ഒന്നും ശേഷിച്ചിരുന്നില്ല…

Word by Word

• उचितज्ञः: knower of propriety
• उचितज्ञः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उचित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (उचितं जानाति)

• विवेकस्य: of discernment
• विवेकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवेक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन

• निवासः: abode
• निवासः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समनाधिकरण (appositional epithet)

• गुणसागरः: ocean of virtues
• गुणसागरः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (गुणानां सागरः)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (negation particle)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘that (thing/situation)’

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• धरापृष्ठे: on the surface of the earth
• धरापृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरा (प्रातिपदिक) + पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (धरायाः पृष्ठम्)

• नगरम्: city
• नगरम्: Karta (Subject complement in list/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नगर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समुच्चयार्थे (as item in list)

• ग्रामपत्तनम्: village and town/port-settlement
• ग्रामपत्तनम्: Karta (Subject complement in list/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक) + पत्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व (ग्रामश्च पत्तनं च) समाहार-द्वन्द्व

Speaker

Nārada

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sweeping montage: across cities, villages, and market-towns, markers of dharma appear—wells, rest-houses, gardens, ghāṭas—each bearing the king’s emblem; the land looks orderly and prosperous.

Characters & Entities

• Indradyumna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma expresses itself through discernment and widespread welfare—virtue is measured by consistent right action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; the verse broadly describes the king’s reach across settlements, preparing for later sacred-geography details.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a eulogy of character and governance.