Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

स दृष्ट्वा कुरुवृद्धस्य कीर्तनानि महात्मनः । ततश्चक्रे मतिं तत्र दिव्यप्रासादकर्मणि

Transliteration

sa dṛṣṭvā kuruvṛddhasya kīrtanāni mahātmanaḥ | tataścakre matiṃ tatra divyaprāsādakarmaṇi

Translation

കുരുവൃദ്ധനായ മഹാത്മാവിന്റെ കീർത്തനങ്ങളും പ്രസിദ്ധ കർമ്മങ്ങളും കണ്ടിട്ട്, അവൻ അവിടെയേ ദിവ്യപ്രാസാദം (ക്ഷേത്രം) പണിയാൻ തീരുമാനിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dṛś (दृश्-धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभाव (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• kuru-vṛddhasya: of the elder among the Kurus
• kuru-vṛddhasya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuru (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (कुरूणां वृद्धः)

• kīrtanāni: praises/recitations
• kīrtanāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kīrtana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled one
• mahātmanaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—क्रमवाचक (thereafter)

• cakre: made/formed
• cakre: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ-धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• matim: an intention/resolve
• matim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• divya-prāsāda-karmaṇi: in the work of a divine temple/palace
• divya-prāsāda-karmaṇi: Adhikarana (Location/Topic/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक) + prāsāda (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (दिव्यः प्रासादः यस्य तत् कर्म)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands before stone inscriptions, steles, or commemorative markers praising a venerable Kuru elder; moved, he gestures in resolve toward a planned temple site.

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• Kuru elder (Kuru-vṛddha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembrance of saintly exemplars inspires constructive dharma—building and supporting sacred spaces is a high form of merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same kṣetra setting of Adhyāya 59 (Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra context), where divine temple-work is undertaken.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prāsāda-karman—initiating the construction/establishment of a divine temple as a meritorious act.