Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

सांप्रतं कीर्तयिष्यामि कथां पातकनाशिनीम् । केदारसंभवां पुण्यां तां शृणुध्वं समाहिताः

Transliteration

sāṃprataṃ kīrtayiṣyāmi kathāṃ pātakanāśinīm | kedārasaṃbhavāṃ puṇyāṃ tāṃ śṛṇudhvaṃ samāhitāḥ

Translation

ഇപ്പോൾ ഞാൻ പാപനാശിനിയായ ഒരു കഥ കീർത്തിക്കും—കേദാരത്തിൽ നിന്നുദ്ഭവിച്ച ആ പുണ്യകഥ; നിങ്ങൾ ഏകാഗ്രചിത്തരായി ശ്രവിക്കുവിൻ।

Word by Word

• सांप्रतम्: now
• सांप्रतम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāṃpratam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (now/at present)

• कीर्तयिष्यामि: I shall narrate
• कीर्तयिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kīrt (धातु, नामधातु/चुरादि)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• कथाम्: story
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पातकनाशिनीम्: sin-destroying
• पातकनाशिनीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (कथाम्); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पातकस्य नाशिनी)

• केदारसंभवाम्: originating from Kedāra
• केदारसंभवाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kedāra (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃbhavā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (कथाम्); समासः—तत्पुरुष (केदारात् सम्भवा = arising from Kedāra)

• पुण्याम्: holy
• पुण्याम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (कथाम्)

• ताम्: that
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (कथाम् प्रति)

• शृणुध्वम्: listen
• शृणुध्वम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद

• समाहिताः: attentive, composed
• समाहिताः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samāhita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √dhā with sam-ā-, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; सम्बोधनार्थे (addressing the listeners)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedārnātha)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (samāhitāḥ requested)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta announces a new sacred tale; behind him, a visionary glimpse of snow-clad Kedāra peaks and a stone Śiva shrine, suggesting the tale’s Himalayan origin entering the Nāgara landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Kedāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing sacred tīrtha-kathā with attention is itself purifying and supports inner transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra (Kedarnath tradition) is named as the source-context of the forthcoming holy account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) with concentration is prescribed as the proper approach to the kathā.