Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

अथ ते ब्राह्मणास्तत्र भूमिभागान्मनोहरान् । दृष्ट्वादृष्ट्वा प्रचक्रुश्च प्रासादान्हर्षसंयुताः

Transliteration

atha te brāhmaṇāstatra bhūmibhāgānmanoharān | dṛṣṭvādṛṣṭvā pracakruśca prāsādānharṣasaṃyutāḥ

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ആ ബ്രാഹ്മണന്മാർ അവിടെയുള്ള മനോഹരമായ ഭൂഭാഗങ്ങൾ വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും കണ്ടു, ഹർഷത്തോടെ പ്രാസാദങ്ങൾ (ക്ഷേത്രങ്ങൾ) പണിയാൻ തുടങ്ങി.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (particle/adverb: “then/now”)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• ब्राह्मणाः: brahmins
• ब्राह्मणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशार्थक-अव्यय (locative adverb: “there”)

• भूमिभागान्: portions of land
• भूमिभागान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भूमेः भागाः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• मनोहरान्: charming, beautiful
• मनोहरान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनोहर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund): “having seen”

• अदृष्ट्वा: having (again) looked repeatedly / having seen and seen
• अदृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: नञ्-पूर्वक क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund): “having not seen / without seeing (again)”

• प्रचक्रुः: they made, constructed
• प्रचक्रुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (Perfect, 3rd person, Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction: “and”)

• प्रासादान्: temples/palaces
• प्रासादान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• हर्षसंयुताः: filled with joy
• हर्षसंयुताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुत (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: तृतीया-तत्पुरुष (हर्षेण संयुताः “endowed with joy”); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

Speaker

Narrator voice (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brāhmaṇas walk across a verdant tract, pointing to different plots; they smile, confer, and mark foundations with pegs and cords. The mood is communal and optimistic, with early scaffolding and stacked stones visible.

Characters & Entities

• brāhmaṇas
• prāsāda (temples)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred landscapes inspire dharmic action; joyfully building temples is portrayed as a meritorious response to tīrtha sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse praises the sanctified locale in general terms; the exact site name is not stated in this snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual act is prescribed; it narrates temple construction initiated by brāhmaṇas.