Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 136

Devanagari script

मांकूले संस्थितं यच्च दिव्यप्राकारभूषितम् । सर्वेषामेव विप्राणां सामान्येन नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

māṃkūle saṃsthitaṃ yacca divyaprākārabhūṣitam | sarveṣāmeva viprāṇāṃ sāmānyena nṛpottama

Translation

മാങ്കൂളിൽ സ്ഥിതിചെയ്തും ദിവ്യ പ്രാകാരഭിത്തിയാൽ അലങ്കരിക്കപ്പെട്ടും ഉള്ളത്, ഹേ നൃപോത്തമാ, എല്ലാ ബ്രാഹ്മണർക്കും പൊതുവായി നിശ്ചിതമാണ്.

Word by Word

• मांकूले: in Māṃkūla (place-name)
• मांकूले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांकूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative of place)

• संस्थितम्: situated/placed
• संस्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

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

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• दिव्यप्राकारभूषितम्: adorned with divine ramparts/walls
• दिव्यप्राकारभूषितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + प्राकार (प्रातिपदिक) + भूषित (भूष् धातु + क्त)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः: दिव्यप्राकारैः भूषितम्), भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; विशेषण (genitive)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• विप्राणाम्: of the Brahmins
• विप्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• सामान्येन: in general/commonly
• सामान्येन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सामान्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण/रीति (instrumental of manner)

• नृपोत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (कर्मधारयः: उत्तमः नृपः), पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator addressing a king (nṛpottama) within the frame-story; specific identity not explicit in snippet

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Māṃkūla-kṣetra (as implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpottama (best of kings) addressed by the narrator/speaker

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fortified yet luminous temple precinct at Māṃkūla with a shining prakāra; a king addresses the assembled brahmins, indicating the site is held in common.

Characters & Entities

• Māṃkūla (place)
• Brahmins (vipra)
• Divine prākāra (enclosure)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes sustaining sacred institutions and communities—shared endowments for learned Brahmins are praised as a righteous social foundation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Māṃkūla, described as an established sacred place adorned with a divine prākāra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite is prescribed; the verse indicates a dharmic arrangement: the place is held ‘in common’ for all Brahmins (a communal endowment).