Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य बृहदश्वो महीपतिः । शाल्वदेशात्समायातः कस्मिश्चिद्युगपर्यये

Transliteration

kasyacittvatha kālasya bṛhadaśvo mahīpatiḥ | śālvadeśātsamāyātaḥ kasmiścidyugaparyaye

Translation

കുറച്ച് കാലം കഴിഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ, ഒരു യുഗപര്യായത്തിന്റെ വേളയിൽ, ഭൂമിപതി രാജാവായ ബൃഹദശ്വൻ ശാൽവദേശത്തിൽ നിന്ന് അവിടെ എത്തി.

Word by Word

• kasya: of some
• kasya: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; अनिश्चित-संबन्धे (of some)

• cit: some, certain
• cit: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनिश्चितताबोधक निपात (indefinitizing particle)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• atha: then, now
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भ/अनन्तरार्थक (then/now)

• kālasya: of time
• kālasya: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• bṛhadaśvaḥ: Bṛhadaśva (proper name)
• bṛhadaśvaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bṛhat (प्रातिपदिक) + aśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; नाम; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-समास (bṛhad-aśva)

• mahīpatiḥ: king, lord of the earth
• mahīpatiḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (mahīyāḥ patiḥ)

• śālvadeśāt: from the Śālva country
• śālvadeśāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śālva (प्रातिपदिक) + deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (śālvasya deśaḥ)

• samāyātaḥ: having come, arrived
• samāyātaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + ā + √yā (या/गतौ) (धातु) → samāyāta (कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), कर्तरि-प्रयोगे ‘came’

• kasmin: in some
• kasmin: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थे

• cit: some, certain
• cit: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनिश्चितताबोधक निपात

• yuga-paryaye: at a certain cycle/turn of an age
• yuga-paryaye: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक) + paryaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (yugasya paryayaḥ)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king with retinue arrives from Śālva—horses, banners, parasols—approaching a wide, quiet sacred field at a ‘yuga’s turning’, with an atmosphere of destiny and renewal.

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhadaśva
• Śālva-deśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas often present righteous kings as instruments for restoring and protecting tīrthas across changing ages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The liṅga-kṣetra introduced in Adhyāya 105, which becomes the focus of royal attention and restoration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the verse introduces the royal agent who will initiate sacred construction.