Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणा ऊचुः । यदेतद्भवता प्रोक्तं तस्य पूर्वे गयाशिरः । माहात्म्यं तस्य नो ब्रूहि सूतपुत्र सविस्तरम्

Transliteration

brāhmaṇā ūcuḥ | yadetadbhavatā proktaṃ tasya pūrve gayāśiraḥ | māhātmyaṃ tasya no brūhi sūtaputra savistaram

Translation

ബ്രാഹ്മണർ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിന്റെ കിഴക്കായി ഗയാശിരസ്സുണ്ടെന്ന് നിങ്ങൾ പറഞ്ഞു. ഹേ സൂതപുത്രാ, ആ പുണ്യസ്ഥാനത്തിന്റെ മഹാത്മ്യം ഞങ്ങൾക്ക് വിശദമായി പറയുക.

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणाः: the Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्ता

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• यत्: which/that
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun: which/that)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेष्य-निर्देश (this)

• भवता: by you
• भवता: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; कर्तृ-निर्देश (by you)

• प्रोक्तम्: told/declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √वच् (धातु) + प्र उपसर्ग + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (spoken/told)

• तस्य: of that/of it
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंस, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• पूर्वे: in the east/on the eastern side
• पूर्वे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (in the east/earlier side)

• गयाशिरः: Gayā’s head (Gayāśiras)
• गयाशिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक) + शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गयायाः शिरः)

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

• तस्य: of it
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• नः: to us/for us
• नः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (for us/our)

• ब्रूहि: tell (you)
• ब्रूहि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सूतपुत्र: O son of the Sūta
• सूतपुत्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (सूतस्य पुत्रः)

• सविस्तरम्: in detail
• सविस्तरम्: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विस्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + स (उपसर्गसदृश-पूर्वपद)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: in detail)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas / Sages (questioners)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gayāśīrṣa

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta (addressed as Sūtaputra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest-assembly of brāhmaṇas seated around Sūta; one spokesperson with folded hands asks for the detailed greatness of Gayāśīrṣa; the eastern horizon subtly indicates the direction of the tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Gayāśīrṣa
• Sūta-putra (Sūta)
• Camatkārapura-kṣetra (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverent questioning is a gateway to tīrtha-knowledge; seekers ask for “savistara” detail to practice pilgrimage with understanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayāśīrṣa, identified as an eastern sacred landmark of the kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a request for the māhātmya (glorifying account) rather than a ritual instruction.