Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । ततस्ते ब्राह्मणाः सर्वे गतकोपा दधुर्मतिम् । यज्ञकर्मसु गार्हस्थ्ये पुत्रपौत्रसमुद्भवे

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | tataste brāhmaṇāḥ sarve gatakopā dadhurmatim | yajñakarmasu gārhasthye putrapautrasamudbhave

Translation

സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അപ്പോൾ ആ ബ്രാഹ്മണർ എല്ലാവരും കോപം വിട്ട്, യജ്ഞകർമ്മങ്ങളിൽ, ഗാർഹസ്ഥ്യധർമ്മത്തിൽ, പുത്ര-പൗത്ര പരമ്പരയുടെ വർദ്ധനവിലും മനസ്സു നിക്ഷിപ്തമാക്കി.

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Verb of speaking)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातu)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla/Hetu (Then/from that)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (ablative adverb)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); ‘they’

• brāhmaṇāḥ: brāhmaṇas
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject; apposition to te)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषणं brāhmaṇāḥ

• gata-kopāḥ: whose anger had gone; calmed
• gata-kopāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of brāhmaṇāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gata (गम् धातु + क्त) + kopa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहिः—‘गतः कोपः येषाम्’; पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• dadhur: placed; fixed (their minds)
• dadhur: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural); परस्मैपदम्

• matim: thought; intention
• matim: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• yajña-karmasu: in sacrificial rites
• yajña-karmasu: Adhikaraṇa (Domain/field)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative), बहुवचन (Plural); तत्पुरुषः—‘यज्ञस्य कर्माणि’

• gārhasthye: in household life
• gārhasthye: Adhikaraṇa (Domain)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gārhasthya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• putra-pautra-samudbhave: in (matters of) the arising of sons and grandsons
• putra-pautra-samudbhave: Adhikaraṇa (Domain/result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक) + pautra (प्रातिपदिक) + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन (Singular); बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः—‘पुत्रपौत्राणां समुद्भवः’

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (standard Sūta frame; not named in the verse but implied by ‘Sūta uvāca’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of brāhmaṇas, formerly enraged, now calm; they gather ritual implements, kindle a sacred fire, and return to household compounds where children and elders symbolize lineage continuity.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is restored when anger subsides; one returns to yajña, household responsibility, and lineage-supporting duties.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader chapter sequence belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya within Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Engagement in yajña-karmas and the duties of gārhasthya (householder dharma).