Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

अन्ये लोकास्तथा धर्मास्तेषां मध्ये व्यवस्थिताः । पृच्छन्नपि न जानाति संबंधं केनचित्सह

Transliteration

anye lokāstathā dharmāsteṣāṃ madhye vyavasthitāḥ | pṛcchannapi na jānāti saṃbaṃdhaṃ kenacitsaha

Translation

അവിടെ അവരുടെ ഇടയിൽ മറ്റു ലോകങ്ങളും മറ്റു ധർമ്മാചാരങ്ങളും സ്ഥാപിതമായിരുന്നു. ചോദിച്ചിട്ടും അവൻ ആരുമായും ബന്ധം എന്തെന്നു ഗ്രഹിക്കാനായില്ല.

Word by Word

• अन्ये: other
• अन्ये: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — nominative plural

• लोकाः: worlds/realms
• लोकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — nominative plural

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक — ‘thus/likewise’

• धर्माः: laws/duties
• धर्माः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — nominative plural

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — genitive plural

• मध्ये: in the midst
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — locative singular (often adverbial)

• व्यवस्थिताः: are established
• व्यवस्थिताः: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + अव + स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘arranged/established’

• पृच्छन्: asking
• पृच्छन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (शतृ); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — present participle ‘asking’

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपवादार्थक — ‘even/also’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपातः — negative particle

• जानाति: knows
• जानाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — present, 3rd person singular

• संबन्धम्: connection/relationship
• संबन्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम् + बन्ध (धातु) → सम्बन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — accusative singular

• केनचित्: with someone/anyone
• केनचित्: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘चित्’ प्रत्ययेन अनिश्चितार्थ — instrumental singular ‘by someone/with someone’

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakaraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक-उपपद — ‘with’ (governs तृतीया)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic frame narrator; specific speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king stands amid a crowd that looks human yet unfamiliar; their dress, rituals, and gestures differ. He questions them, but faces remain blank or incomprehensible, emphasizing isolation within a bustling ‘other-world’ marketplace or settlement.

Characters & Entities

• king

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma can appear different across realms and conditions; without right context and guidance, one becomes spiritually and socially disoriented.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it continues the broader tīrtha-narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.