Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

एतस्मात्कारणाद्यात्रा नागरैः सुकृता भवेत् । न विना नागरैर्यात्रां तुष्टिं याति सुरेश्वरी

Transliteration

etasmātkāraṇādyātrā nāgaraiḥ sukṛtā bhavet | na vinā nāgarairyātrāṃ tuṣṭiṃ yāti sureśvarī

Translation

ഈ കാരണത്താൽ നാഗരർ നിർവഹിക്കുന്ന യാത്ര സുകൃതമായി സുസിദ്ധമാകുന്നു; നാഗരരില്ലാതെ ചെയ്ത യാത്രയിൽ സുരേശ്വരി ദേവി തൃപ്തിയിലാകുന്നില്ല.

Word by Word

• एतस्मात्: from this
• एतस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे पञ्चमीविभक्तिः (Ablative/5th), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• कारणात्: because of the reason
• कारणात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे पञ्चमीविभक्तिः (Ablative/5th), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• यात्रा: pilgrimage/procession
• यात्रा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• नागरैः: by the Nāgaras
• नागरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• सुकृता: well-performed
• सुकृता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग) + कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (Past Passive Participle/क्त); स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (Nom./1st), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• भवेत्: would be/should be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (Singular), परस्मैपदम्

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निषेधार्थक-निपातः (negation particle)

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Exclusion/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; उपपद-पूर्वकः (preposition-like), वियोगार्थकः (without)

• नागरैः: by/with the Nāgaras
• नागरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• यात्राम्: the pilgrimage
• यात्राम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• तुष्टिम्: satisfaction/pleasure
• तुष्टिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• याति: attains/goes to
• याति: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (Singular), परस्मैपदम्

• सुरेश्वरी: the Goddess (queen of the gods)
• सुरेश्वरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर + ईश्वरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम् (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (goddess of the gods)

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual Purāṇic narrator; explicit speaker not in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (with Dhārā-tīrtha in its māhātmya cycle)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrimage procession of Nāgaras approaching a Devī shrine at the kṣetra; the Devī is envisioned as ‘Sureśvarī’ receiving offerings; banners, lamps, and orderly movement convey yātrā-siddhi.

Characters & Entities

• Nāgara
• Sureśvarī (Devī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is upheld as a communal dharma; collective participation and inherited tradition are presented as spiritually decisive.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The statement pertains to the yātrā connected to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra/Dhārātīrtha māhātmya sequence in Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It emphasizes who should perform the yātrā (Nāgaras) for it to be considered properly fulfilled and pleasing to the Goddess.