Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

कृतौ कथयसीत्येवं वेदिमध्यं समाश्रितौ । उतान्यौ स्थापितौ तत्र चमत्कारपुरांतिकम्

Transliteration

kṛtau kathayasītyevaṃ vedimadhyaṃ samāśritau | utānyau sthāpitau tatra camatkārapurāṃtikam

Translation

“ഇവ എങ്ങനെ നിർമ്മിക്കപ്പെട്ടു അല്ലെങ്കിൽ പ്രതിഷ്ഠിക്കപ്പെട്ടു?”—എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞുകൊണ്ട് അവർ ഇരുവരും വേദിയുടെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിൽ നിലകൊണ്ടു; കൂടാതെ മറ്റിരുവരെയും അവിടെ തന്നെ ചമത്കാരപുരത്തിന് സമീപം പ്രതിഷ്ഠിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• कृतौ: the two deeds/acts
• कृतौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Case 1/2), द्विवचन (Dual)

• कथयसि: you tell/say
• कथयसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• इति: thus/“that”
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणसूचक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• एवम्: in this manner
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• वेदि-मध्यम्: the middle of the altar
• वेदि-मध्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेदि (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वेद्याः मध्यं)

• समाश्रितौ: having resorted to / seated in
• समाश्रितौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-श्रि (धातु) → समाश्रित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), प्रथमा (Case 1), द्विवचन (Dual), पुंलिङ्ग (contextual)

• उत: and/also
• उत: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (conj./particle: and/also)

• अन्यौ: the other two
• अन्यौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), द्विवचन (Dual)

• स्थापितौ: were placed/installed
• स्थापितौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थापित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), प्रथमा (Case 1), द्विवचन (Dual), पुंलिङ्ग

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• चमत्कार-पुर-अन्तिकम्: near the city named Cāmatkāra
• चमत्कार-पुर-अन्तिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चमत्कार (प्रातिपदिक) + पुर (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (चमत्कारपुरस्य अन्तिकम्)

Speaker

Ṛṣis (continued question framing; narrative content embedded)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Oṣadhiprastha–Camatkārapurā kṣetra (as implied in the episode)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijas/ṛṣis (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A consecrated altar-space with a central vedi; two divine presences stationed in the middle, with two additional installations near the city boundary of Camatkārapurā; priests and pilgrims witness the marvel.

Characters & Entities

• Umā
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Vedi (altar)
• Camatkāra-pura

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine presence is localized through consecration and sacred space (vedi), making geography a vehicle of devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A shrine-area associated with Camatkāra-pura and an altar (vedi); the verse situates the divine forms near that city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It alludes to installation (sthāpana) of divine forms and their placement at the altar’s center.