Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

अहो नास्ति मया तुल्यः सांप्रतं भुवि कश्चन । पुण्यवान्यस्य देवेशः स्वयमर्थी गृहागतः

Transliteration

aho nāsti mayā tulyaḥ sāṃprataṃ bhuvi kaścana | puṇyavānyasya deveśaḥ svayamarthī gṛhāgataḥ

Translation

അഹോ! ഇപ്പൊഴത്തെ ഭൂമിയിൽ എനിക്കു തുല്യൻ ആരുമില്ല; ഞാൻ പുണ്യവാൻ, കാരണം ദേവേശൻ സ്വയം പ്രാർത്ഥിയായി എന്റെ ഗൃഹത്തിലേക്ക് വന്നിരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• अहो: ah!, indeed!
• अहो: Sambodhana/Exclamation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विस्मयादिबोधक-निपात (interjection)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मया: with me / than me
• मया: Upamana/Comparison (Instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तुल्यः: equal
• तुल्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (कश्चन इति पदस्य विशेषण)

• साम्प्रतम्: now
• साम्प्रतम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साम्प्रतम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (now/at present)

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• कश्चन: anyone
• कश्चन: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चन (निपात)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक (indefinite pronoun)

• पुण्यवान्: fortunate, meritorious
• पुण्यवान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्यवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (अहम् इति अध्याहृतस्य विशेषण)

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative)

• देवेशः: lord of the gods
• देवेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मनः/स्वतः इत्यर्थे क्रियाविशेषण

• अर्थी: a supplicant, one who seeks (something)
• अर्थी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्थिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (देवेशः इति पदस्य विशेषण)

• गृहागतः: come to (my) house
• गृहागतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक) + आगत (कृदन्त, √गम्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (देवेशः इति पदस्य विशेषण)

Speaker

Dadhīci

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra (Sahasrākṣa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dadhīci exclaims in wonder at his fortune: Indra stands as a respectful petitioner at the doorway; the sage’s face shows astonished joy, hands raised in expressive gesture.

Characters & Entities

• Dadhīci
• Indra (Deveśa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Serving the worthy guest is itself great puṇya; reverence to dharma makes one truly “fortunate.”

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse highlights the sanctity of the sage’s hermitage/home as a dharmic space within tīrtha-mahātmya storytelling, without naming a specific location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit praise of atithi-satkara (honoring a guest), a core household dharma.