Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नंतरे प्राप्ताः कैलासाच्च द्विजोत्तमाः । श्रुत्वा चौदुंबरीजातं माहात्म्यं धरणीतले

Transliteration

etasminnaṃtare prāptāḥ kailāsācca dvijottamāḥ | śrutvā cauduṃbarījātaṃ māhātmyaṃ dharaṇītale

Translation

അതിനിടയിൽ കൈലാസത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ദ്വിജന്മാർ അവിടെ എത്തി; ഭൂമിയിൽ ഉദുംബരത്തിൽ നിന്നുയർന്ന ആ മഹാത്മ്യം അവർ കേട്ടിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• अन्तरे: in the interval/meanwhile
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• प्राप्ताः: arrived
• प्राप्ताः: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, (द्विजोत्तमाः इति) विशेषण

• कैलासात्: from Kailāsa
• कैलासात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैलास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• द्विजोत्तमाः: excellent Brahmins
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्रु (धातु) → श्रुत्वा (क्त्वान्त-अव्यय/कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund), क्रियापूर्वकत्व (having done)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• औदुम्बरीजातम्: arisen from/connected with the Udumbarī (fig-tree)
• औदुम्बरीजातम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: औदुम्बरी + जात (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-आधारित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (माहात्म्यम्)

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

• धरणीतले: on the surface of the earth
• धरणीतले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरणी + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

Speaker

Unclear from snippet (deduced: Purāṇic narrator describing arrivals to a sacred event)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Udumbarī-jāta (Udumbara-associated sacred occurrence)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of radiant dvijottamas/ṛṣis descends from snow-clad Kailāsa toward a warm earthly plain where an Udumbara tree stands prominent, surrounded by subtle aura, indicating a newly arisen sacred phenomenon.

Characters & Entities

• Kailāsa
• Dvijottamas (sages/brāhmaṇas)
• Udumbara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing a tīrtha’s māhātmya inspires pilgrimage: the wise travel even from exalted realms to honor sacred manifestations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse points to a chapter-specific glory connected with an Udumbara-related manifestation, but does not name the tīrtha explicitly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the impetus for pilgrimage—hearing the māhātmya.