Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

अतिथिरुवाच । पिंगला कुररः सर्पः सारंगश्चैव यो वने । इषुकारः कुमारी च षडेते गुरवो मम

Transliteration

atithiruvāca | piṃgalā kuraraḥ sarpaḥ sāraṃgaścaiva yo vane | iṣukāraḥ kumārī ca ṣaḍete guravo mama

Translation

അതിഥി (മുനി) പറഞ്ഞു— “പിംഗലാ, കുരരപക്ഷി, സർപ്പം, വനത്തിൽ വസിക്കുന്ന സാരംഗം (മാൻ); ഇഷുകാരൻ (അമ്പുകാരൻ)യും കുമാരിയും— ഈ ആറുപേരാണ് എന്റെ ഗുരുക്കൾ.”

Word by Word

• atithiḥ: the guest (Atithi)
• atithiḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: atithi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘said’

• piṃgalā: Piṅgalā
• piṃgalā: Karta (Listed item/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṃgalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम (स्त्री)

• kuraraḥ: osprey (kurara bird)
• kuraraḥ: Karta (Listed item/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kurara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sarpaḥ: snake
• sarpaḥ: Karta (Listed item/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sāraṃgaḥ: deer (sāraṅga)
• sāraṃgaḥ: Karta (Listed item/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāraṃga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण) — ‘indeed’

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अत्र ‘सारङ्गः’ इत्यस्य विशेषण-सम्बन्धः — ‘who (is) in the forest’

• vane: in the forest
• vane: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन — ‘in the forest’

• iṣukāraḥ: arrow-maker
• iṣukāraḥ: Karta (Listed item/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: iṣu (प्रातिपदिक) + kāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) ‘इषूणां कारः’ = ‘arrow-maker/fletcher’

• kumārī: maiden, young girl
• kumārī: Karta (Listed item/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• ṣaṭ: six
• ṣaṭ: Viśeṣaṇa (Numeral/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṣ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, प्रथमा, बहुवचनार्थे अव्ययवत्; अत्र ‘ete’ विशेषणम् — ‘six’

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘these’

• guravaḥ: teachers
• guravaḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी, एकवचन — ‘my/of me’

Speaker

Atithi (the ‘guest’/sage figure speaking in the narrative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The guest-sage calmly enumerates six teachers; around him appear emblematic vignettes: Piṅgalā in a city doorway turning inward; a kurara-bird dropping fish; a serpent in a hole; a deer alert in the forest; a fletcher absorbed in crafting arrows; a maiden quietly working, avoiding noise.

Characters & Entities

• Atithi
• Piṅgalā
• Kurara
• Sarpa
• Sāraṅga (deer)
• Iṣukāra
• Kumārī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true seeker can learn dharma from many sources—nature, ordinary life, and lived examples become ‘gurus’ when observed with discernment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse does not name a tīrtha; it introduces a teaching within the broader Tīrthamāhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an instructional declaration about sources of wisdom (gurus).