Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । संप्रस्थितस्य रामस्य स्वकीयं सदनं प्रति । यदाश्चर्यमभून्मार्गे श्रूयतां द्विजसत्तमाः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | saṃprasthitasya rāmasya svakīyaṃ sadanaṃ prati | yadāścaryamabhūnmārge śrūyatāṃ dvijasattamāḥ

Translation

സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—സ്വധാമത്തിലേക്കു പുറപ്പെട്ട ശ്രീരാമന്റെ വഴിയിൽ സംഭവിച്ച അത്ഭുതം കേൾക്കുവിൻ, ഹേ ദ്വിജശ്രേഷ്ഠന്മാരേ।

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्ता (speaker)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• saṃprasthitasya: of (him who had) set out
• saṃprasthitasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃ-pra-sthita (कृदन्त; √sthā धातु, क्त/क्तवत्-भाव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; विशेषण (genitive qualifier)

• rāmasya: of Rāma
• rāmasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• svakīyam: his own
• svakīyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva-kīya (प्रातिपदिक; स्व + कीय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सदनम् इति विशेषण

• sadanam: home, residence
• sadanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sadana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; गत्यर्थे कर्म (goal-object)

• prati: towards
• prati: Sambandha (Directional marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (preposition/postposition), दिशार्थक

• yat: which
• yat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• āścaryam: a wonder
• āścaryam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āścarya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता (with abhūt)

• abhūt: occurred, happened
• abhūt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• mārge: on the way
• mārge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• śrūyatām: let it be heard
• śrūyatām: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (passive/impersonal sense)

• dvijasattamāḥ: O best of the twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• dvijasattamāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija-sattama (प्रातिपदिक; द्विज + सत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे प्रथमा (vocative sense)

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattamāḥ (assembled brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta addresses assembled brāhmaṇa-sages, announcing that as Rāma departed for his home, a wondrous event occurred on the way, inviting attentive listening.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Rāma
• Dvijas (brāhmaṇas/sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Approach sacred narratives with attentive listening (śravaṇa), for wonders on a dhārmic journey often disclose the hidden greatness of a holy place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This opening verse introduces the episode that will reveal the glory of a kṣetra soon identified as Hāṭakeśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly here; it functions as a narrative preface inviting śravaṇa (devotional hearing).