Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । बाढमित्येव ते प्रोच्य प्रणिपत्य पितामहम् । सनातनसुतोपेता नागतीर्थं समाश्रिताः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | bāḍhamityeva te procya praṇipatya pitāmaham | sanātanasutopetā nāgatīrthaṃ samāśritāḥ

Translation

സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു— ‘ബാഢം’ എന്നു പറഞ്ഞു അവർ പിതാമഹൻ (ബ്രഹ്മാവ്)നെ പ്രണാമിച്ചു; സനാതനന്റെ പുത്രന്മാരോടുകൂടെ അവർ നാഗതീർത്ഥം ആശ്രയിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• बाढम्: certainly; agreed
• बाढम्: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बाढम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुमत्यर्थक निपात (particle of assent: 'certainly/so be it')

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक (quotative particle)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle: 'indeed/just')

• ते: to them
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), बहुवचन (to them)

• प्रोच्य: having said
• प्रोच्य: Purvakala-kriya (Absolutive/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) + ल्यप् (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव कृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); 'having said'

• प्रणिपत्य: having prostrated
• प्रणिपत्य: Purvakala-kriya (Absolutive/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + नि + पत् (धातु) + ल्यप् (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव कृदन्त (gerund); 'having bowed down'

• पितामहम्: the grandsire (Brahmā)
• पितामहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• सनातनसुतोपेताः: accompanied by Sanātana’s sons
• सनातनसुतोपेताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक) + सुत (प्रातिपदिक) + उपेत (इ (धातु) + क्त, कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सनातनस्य सुतैः/सुतैः उपेताः = accompanied by Sanātana's sons); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त 'उपेत'; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• नागतीर्थम्: Nāga-tīrtha (the serpent sacred ford)
• नागतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (नागानां तीर्थम् / नाग-सम्बन्धि तीर्थम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समाश्रिताः: having taken refuge in; having resorted to
• समाश्रिताः: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + आ + श्रि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle, middle sense); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; 'having resorted to'

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgatīrtha

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates: the devotees say ‘bāḍham’, bow to Brahmā, and journey with Sanātana’s sons to Nāgatīrtha, arriving at a sacred waterside marked by nāga symbols.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Sanātana
• Sanātana’s sons
• Nāgatīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Obedience to divine instruction and humble reverence establish the sanctity and protection of a tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nāgatīrtha, where the appointed guardians take their station.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, honoring Brahmā and establishing guardianship at the tīrtha as part of maintaining sacred rites.