Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अत्र पूर्वं तपस्तप्तमम्बरीषेण भूभुजा । पुत्र शोकाभिभूतेन तोषितो गरुडध्वजः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | atra pūrvaṃ tapastaptamambarīṣeṇa bhūbhujā | putra śokābhibhūtena toṣito garuḍadhvajaḥ

Translation

സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇവിടെ പൂർവകാലത്ത് പുത്രശോകത്തിൽ മുങ്ങിയ രാജാവ് അംബരീഷൻ തപസ്സു ചെയ്തു; ഗരുഡധ്വജൻ (വിഷ്ണു) പ്രസന്നനായി.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (formerly/before)

• तपः: austerity/penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन

• तप्तम्: was performed
• तप्तम्: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (performed)

• अम्बरीषेण: by Ambarīṣa
• अम्बरीषेण: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बरीष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचन

• भूभुजा: by the king
• भूभुजा: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूभुज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचन (राजा)

• पुत्र: O son
• पुत्र: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचन

• शोकाभिभूतेन: overcome by grief
• शोकाभिभूतेन: Karana (Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोक (प्रातिपदिक) + अभिभूत (भू-धातु; क्त)
• Form: तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (शोकेन अभिभूतः); पुल्लिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचन (qualifying implied agent: अम्बरीषेण)

• तोषितः: was pleased
• तोषितः: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुष् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन (pleased)

• गरुडध्वजः: Viṣṇu (whose banner is Garuḍa)
• गरुडध्वजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गरुड (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहिः (गरुडो ध्वजो यस्य सः); पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gomukha (contextual)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Ambarīṣa, aged and sorrowful, performs severe austerities near the tīrtha; Viṣṇu (Garuḍadhvaja) appears or is felt as pleased, with Garuḍa emblem prominent.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Ambarīṣa
• Viṣṇu (Garuḍadhvaja)
• Garuḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Grief can be transformed into dharmic effort; tapas performed with sincerity draws divine grace and sanctifies a place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The locale where Ambarīṣa’s tapas occurred, connected to the manifestation and fame of Gomukha-tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity/penance) as the transformative spiritual practice that leads to divine satisfaction.