Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । धर्मराजेश्वरोत्थं च माहात्म्यं द्विजसत्तमाः । यन्मया प्रश्रुतं पुण्यं सकाशात्स्वपितुः पुरा

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | dharmarājeśvarotthaṃ ca māhātmyaṃ dvijasattamāḥ | yanmayā praśrutaṃ puṇyaṃ sakāśātsvapituḥ purā

Translation

സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ദ്വിജശ്രേഷ്ഠന്മാരേ! ധർമ്മരാജേശ്വരനുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട പുണ്യമായ മഹാത്മ്യം ഞാൻ വിവരിക്കും; അത് ഞാൻ പണ്ടുകാലത്ത് എന്റെ പിതാവിൽ നിന്നു ശ്രവിച്ചിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• धर्मराजेश्वरोत्थम्: arisen from Dharmarājeśvara / concerning Dharmarājeśvara’s origin
• धर्मराजेश्वरोत्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्मराजेश्वर-उत्थ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (माहात्म्यस्य)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• माहात्म्यम्: the sacred greatness (account)
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• द्विजसत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (brahmins)
• द्विजसत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज-सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे प्रथमा (vocative sense)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उभयलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करणम् (agent/instrument)

• प्रश्रुतम्: heard
• प्रश्रुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-श्रु (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मविशेषणम् (यत्)

• पुण्यम्: meritorious; holy
• पुण्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (यत्/माहात्म्य)

• सकाशात्: from (the presence of)
• सकाशात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादानार्थक (ablatival adverb: 'from the presence of')

• स्वपितुः: of my own father
• स्वपितुः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व-पितृ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmarājeśvara (within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-sattamāḥ (assembly of eminent brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta seated in a forest hermitage assembly, addressing attentive brāhmaṇa sages; behind him, a symbolic vignette of a Śiva-liṅga labeled Dharmarājeśvara, indicating the topic about to be unfolded.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Dharmarājeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred place-glorifications (māhātmya) are to be received through authentic lineage-hearing (śruti/smṛti transmission) and are themselves meritorious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmarājeśvara-tīrtha (introduced as the subject of the forthcoming māhātmya).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it establishes the act of hearing the māhātmya as puṇya.