Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

अथ ताः प्रोचुरन्योन्यं तापस्यस्तत्पुरः स्थिताः । तस्यभूपस्य संतोषं जनयंत्यो द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

atha tāḥ procuranyonyaṃ tāpasyastatpuraḥ sthitāḥ | tasyabhūpasya saṃtoṣaṃ janayaṃtyo dvijottamāḥ

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ആ തപസ്വിനികൾ അവന്റെ സന്നിധിയിൽ നിന്നുകൊണ്ട് പരസ്പരം സംസാരിച്ചു; ആ ദ്വിജോത്തമ സാദ്വികൾ രാജാവിന്റെ ഹൃദയത്തിൽ സന്തോഷം ജനിപ്പിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरबोधक-अव्यय (adverb: then)

• ताः: they (those women)
• ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• प्रोचुः: said
• प्रोचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• अन्योन्यम्: to one another
• अन्योन्यम्: Adhikaraṇa (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्योन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग (reciprocal adverbial accusative)

• तापस्यः: female ascetics
• तापस्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (stem member in compound)

• पुरः: in front (of)
• पुरः: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरस् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (preposition-like: in front of)

• स्थिताः: standing/situated
• स्थिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), प्रथमा, बहुवचन, स्त्रीलिङ्ग (तापस्यः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• भूपस्य: of the king
• भूपस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• संतोषम्: satisfaction
• संतोषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संतोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• जनयन्त्यः: producing/causing
• जनयन्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), प्रथमा, बहुवचन, स्त्रीलिङ्ग; (तापस्यः/द्विजोत्तमाः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• द्विजोत्तमाः: best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (द्विजानाम् उत्तमाः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, before explicit 'Sūta uvāca')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ascetic women stand near the king in a temple courtyard or hermitage edge, speaking softly among themselves; the king listens with a serene, satisfied expression; attendants remain respectful and still.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy persons, through disciplined tapas and truthful speech, can awaken dharmic contentment in rulers and society.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya frame; this line itself does not name a distinct tīrtha, but supports the wider pilgrimage narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it introduces an auspicious speech by ascetic women in a mahātmya setting.