Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

एतद्वः सर्वमाख्यातं मया सत्यं द्विजोत्तमाः । येन सत्येन तेनैष महाकालः प्रसीदतु

Transliteration

etadvaḥ sarvamākhyātaṃ mayā satyaṃ dvijottamāḥ | yena satyena tenaiṣa mahākālaḥ prasīdatu

Translation

ഹേ ദ്വിജോത്തമന്മാരേ, ഇതെല്ലാം ഞാൻ നിങ്ങളോട് സത്യമായി അറിയിച്ചു; ആ സത്യബലത്താൽ ഈ മഹാകാലൻ പ്രസന്നനാകട്ടെ.

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• vaḥ: to you (all)
• vaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-बहुवचन-सर्वनाम; चतुर्थी/षष्ठी (4th/6th), बहुवचन (enclitic: to you/of you)

• sarvam: all, entire
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• ākhyātam: has been narrated
• ākhyātam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + khyā (धातु) + ta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: आख्याः/ख्यै-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-भावः (PPP: 'has been told')

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• satyam: truthfully
• satyam: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (accusative of manner: 'truly')

• dvija-uttamāḥ: O best of brāhmaṇas
• dvija-uttamāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (श्रेष्ठाः द्विजाः); पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), बहुवचन

• yena: by which
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (instrumental singular; relative)

• satyena: by (this) truth
• satyena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• tena: by that
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (instrumental singular; correlative)

• eṣaḥ: this (one)
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• mahā-kālaḥ: Mahākāla
• mahā-kālaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (महान् कालः; देव-नाम); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• prasīdatu: may (he) be pleased
• prasīdatu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + sad (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकारः (imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Unnamed (context suggests the king concluding his truthful account to the brāhmaṇas)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottamāḥ (brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The speaker finishes his truthful account before brāhmaṇas and offers a concluding prayer: ‘May Mahākāla be pleased by this truth.’ The shrine glows; the assembly is solemn.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Satya (truthfulness) itself becomes an act of worship, invoked to gain Mahākāla’s grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahākāla’s sacred sphere is being praised; in Purāṇic tīrtha-tradition this points to the Mahākāleśvara kṣetra (Ujjain).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is detailed here; the verse foregrounds satya as a spiritually efficacious vow/offering.