Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

निवासमकरोत्तस्मिन्क्षेत्रे पुण्यतमे चिरम् । शीर्णपर्णफलाहारो भूमौ शेते सदा निशि । अन्य स्याऽन्यस्य वृक्षस्य मदाहंकारवर्जितः

Transliteration

nivāsamakarottasminkṣetre puṇyatame ciram | śīrṇaparṇaphalāhāro bhūmau śete sadā niśi | anya syā'nyasya vṛkṣasya madāhaṃkāravarjitaḥ

Translation

അവൻ അത്യന്തം പുണ്യമയമായ ആ ക്ഷേത്രത്തിൽ ദീർഘകാലം വാസം ചെയ്തു. വീണ ഇലകളും ഫലങ്ങളും ആഹാരമാക്കി, രാത്രിയിൽ എപ്പോഴും ഭൂമിയിൽ ശയിച്ചു; ഒരു വൃക്ഷത്തിൽ നിന്ന് മറ്റൊന്നിലേക്കു മാറി, മദവും അഹങ്കാരവും വിട്ടവനായി നിന്നു.

Word by Word

• nivāsam: residence/dwelling
• nivāsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nivāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular)

• akarot: made
• akarot: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृ (kṛ) धातु, लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपदम्

• tasmin: in that
• tasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी विभक्ति (locative/7th), एकवचन (singular)

• kṣetre: field/holy region
• kṣetre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी विभक्ति (locative/7th), एकवचन (singular)

• puṇyatame: most sacred
• puṇyatame: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇyatama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी विभक्ति (locative/7th), एकवचन (singular); तमप्-प्रत्यय (superlative)

• ciram: for a long time
• ciram: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ciram (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• śīrṇa-parṇa-phala-āhāraḥ: one whose food was fallen leaves and fruits
• śīrṇa-parṇa-phala-āhāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śīrṇa (कृदन्त; √śṝ/शी) + parṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक) + āhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (determinative) ‘शीर्णानि पर्णानि फलानि च आहारः यस्य’ = having food of fallen leaves and fruits

• bhūmau: on the ground
• bhūmau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), सप्तमी विभक्ति (locative/7th), एकवचन (singular)

• śete: lies/sleeps
• śete: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śī (धातु)
• Form: शी (śī) धातु, लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), आत्मनेपदम्

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: नित्यत्ववाचक-अव्यय (adverb ‘always’)

• niśi: at night
• niśi: Adhikarana (Time-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), सप्तमी विभक्ति (locative/7th), एकवचन (singular)

• anyaḥ: different/other
• anyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• syāt: might be / should be
• syāt: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: अस् (as) धातु, विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपदम्

• anyasya: of another
• anyasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक (masc/neut), षष्ठी विभक्ति (genitive/6th), एकवचन (singular)

• vṛkṣasya: of a tree
• vṛkṣasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठī)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), षष्ठी विभक्ति (genitive/6th), एकवचन (singular)

• mada-ahaṃkāra-varjitaḥ: devoid of pride and ego
• mada-ahaṃkāra-varjitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mada (प्रातिपदिक) + ahaṃkāra (प्रातिपदिक) + varjita (कृदन्त; √vṛj/वर्ज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘वर्जित’ (devoid of) + द्वन्द्व-समाहार-पूर्वपद (mada & ahaṃkāra) तत्पुरुषसमासः

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (Śaṅkhatīrtha cycle)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Purāṇic audience (not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king lives like an ascetic in a sacred grove: eating fallen leaves and fruits, sleeping on bare earth, shifting from tree to tree, his royal identity subdued by humility.

Characters & Entities

• kṣetra (holy region)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The fruit of a kṣetra is approached through humility and austerity; egolessness is portrayed as a key qualification for receiving tīrtha-prabhāva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse praises a “most holy kṣetra” within the Hāṭakeśvara sacred geography; the specific focal tīrtha of the chapter is Śaṅkhatīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A lifestyle-vrata is implied: simple fallen-fruit diet, sleeping on the earth, and renunciation of pride during residence in a sacred place.