Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

ततो गृहं परित्यज्य गोकर्णौ द्वावपि स्थितौ । देवतायतनैर्व्याप्तं क्षेत्रं दृष्ट्वाऽखिलं ततः

Transliteration

tato gṛhaṃ parityajya gokarṇau dvāvapi sthitau | devatāyatanairvyāptaṃ kṣetraṃ dṛṣṭvā'khilaṃ tataḥ

Translation

പിന്നീട് ഗൃഹം ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് ഗോകർണന്മാരായ ആ ഇരുവരും അവിടെ തന്നെ പാർത്തു. ദേവാലയങ്ങളാൽ വ്യാപിച്ച ആ മുഴുവൻ ക്ഷേത്രപ്രദേശം കണ്ടു അതിന്റെ പുണ്യത്വം അറിഞ്ഞു।

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = thereafter

• गृहम्: house, home
• गृहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• परित्यज्य: having left
• परित्यज्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), √त्यज् (त्यागे) with परि-; ‘having abandoned’

• गोकर्णौ: the two Gokarṇas (Gokarṇa and companion)
• गोकर्णौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gokarṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; समास: गो+कर्ण (तत्पुरुष-नाम)

• द्वौ: two
• द्वौ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) = particle; समुच्चय/अपि-भाव

• स्थितौ: stood, remained
• स्थितौ: Kriya (Predicate state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), √स्था (तिष्ठति) ; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; ‘having stayed/standing’ (as predicate participle)

• देवतायतनैः: by temples of deities
• देवतायतनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā+āyatana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; समास: देवतायाः आयतनम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• व्याप्तम्: pervaded, filled
• व्याप्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्याप् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), √व्याप् (व्याप्तौ) ; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्षेत्रम् इति विशेषण

• क्षेत्रम्: sacred field/region
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), √दृश् (दर्शने); ‘having seen’

• अखिलम्: entire
• अखिलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्षेत्रम् इति विशेषण

• ततः: thereupon
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = then/thereupon

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two brāhmaṇas walking away from a modest home with minimal belongings; ahead lies a sacred landscape dotted with many small shrines and flags; they pause in awe, surveying the kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Gokarṇa
• devatāyatanāni (shrines of deities)
• kṣetra (holy region)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True pilgrimage begins with renunciation of attachment and reverent recognition of a kṣetra as a living landscape of divinity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sacred kṣetra associated with “Gokarṇa” and described as filled with many deity-shrines within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the emphasis is on leaving home for the kṣetra and beholding its sanctified geography.