Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तत्रैश्वर्यमभूत्पूर्वं यत्तद्ब्राह्मणसत्तमाः । अहं वः कीर्तयिष्यामि श्रोतव्यं सुसमाहितैः

Transliteration

tatraiśvaryamabhūtpūrvaṃ yattadbrāhmaṇasattamāḥ | ahaṃ vaḥ kīrtayiṣyāmi śrotavyaṃ susamāhitaiḥ

Translation

ഹേ ബ്രാഹ്മണസത്തമന്മാരേ, ആ സ്ഥലത്ത് പൂർവ്വകാലത്ത് ദിവ്യൈശ്വര്യത്തിന്റെ അത്ഭുതപ്രകടനം സംഭവിച്ചിരുന്നു. അത് ഞാൻ നിങ്ങളോട് വിവരിക്കും; നിങ്ങൾ സുസമാഹിതചിത്തത്തോടെ ശ്രവിക്കുവിൻ.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: 'there')

• ऐश्वर्यम्: prosperity, lordly power
• ऐश्वर्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऐश्वर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अभूत्: arose, existed
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु) + अभि (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (formerly, earlier)

• यत्: which/that
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative link)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun: 'which/that')

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative link)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; यत् इत्यस्य प्रतिनिर्देश (correlative)

• ब्राह्मणसत्तमाः: O best of Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणसत्तमाः: Sambodhana/Address (Vocative sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण-सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (ब्राह्मणाः सत्तमाः)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वः: to you / for you
• वः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (enclitic: 'of you/to you')

• कीर्तयिष्यामि: I shall narrate/proclaim
• कीर्तयिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कीर्त्/√कीर्तय् (धातु; नामधातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• श्रोतव्यम्: to be listened to
• श्रोतव्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √श्रु (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive: 'to be heard'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सु-समाहितैः: by well-attentive (persons)
• सु-समाहितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-समाहित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √धा + सम् + आ + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (सु + समाहित)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: formal māhātmya narration addressing sages/brāhmaṇas)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ajāgṛha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇa-sattamas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrator addresses assembled brāhmaṇas, inviting concentrated listening before recounting a miracle at Ajāgṛha; the setting feels like a forest-āśrama or tīrtha pavilion.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas (audience)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-māhātmya is received through attentive listening; sacred geography is understood by hearing the divine deeds connected to a place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same locality introduced as Ajāgṛha; this verse signals an upcoming account of its extraordinary potency.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) with mental composure is implied as the appropriate discipline.