Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । कदा विधिनिषेधौ च कर्तव्यौ विष्णुसन्निधौ । युष्मद्वाक्यामृतं पीत्वा तृप्तिर्मम न विद्यते

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | kadā vidhiniṣedhau ca kartavyau viṣṇusannidhau | yuṣmadvākyāmṛtaṃ pītvā tṛptirmama na vidyate

Translation

നാരദൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ഭഗവൻ! വിഷ്ണുവിന്റെ സന്നിധിയിൽ വിധിയും നിഷേധവും എപ്പോൾ ആചരിക്കണം? നിങ്ങളുടെ വാക്യാമൃതം പാനം ചെയ്തിട്ടും എനിക്ക് തൃപ്തി ഉദിക്കുന്നില്ല.

Word by Word

• nāradaḥ: Nārada
• nāradaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्ता/कर्ता

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kadā: when
• kadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb of time)

• vidhi: injunctions
• vidhi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासस्य पूर्वपद (with niṣedha)

• niṣedhau: prohibitions
• niṣedhau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niṣedha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; द्वन्द्व (vidhi+niṣedha)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• kartavyau: are to be done / should be observed
• kartavyau: Kriya (Obligation/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tavya (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligative) ‘-तव्य’; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; विधेय (predicate)

• viṣṇusannidhau: in the presence of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇusannidhau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu-sannidhi (प्रातिपदिक; विष्णु + सन्निधि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• yuṣmat: your
• yuṣmat: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• vākya: speech/words
• vākya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषे पूर्वपद (with amṛta)

• amṛtam: nectar (of your words)
• amṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object of pītvā)

• pītvā: having drunk
• pītvā: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) ‘-त्वा’; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having drunk)

• tṛptiḥ: satisfaction
• tṛptiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tṛpti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृ (subject of vidyate)

• mama: for me / my
• mama: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• vidyate: exists / is found
• vidyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vid (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; भावे प्रयोगः (exists)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brahmā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada, holding a vīṇā, bows and questions a radiant teacher figure (Brahmā or a sage) before a Viṣṇu shrine; the sanctum lamp glows, indicating ‘Viṣṇu-sannidhi’.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sincere seeker asks for clarity on how to align discipline (rules and restraints) with devotion to Viṣṇu.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate verse is dialogic and does not name a tirtha; it continues within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s tīrtha-centered Cāturmāsya teaching stream.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It requests guidance on the proper timing and manner of adopting vidhi (injunctions) and niṣedha (restraints) before Viṣṇu.