Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

हितकृत्सर्वलोकस्य यथा माता यथा पिता । तेन राज्यं समासाद्य पितृपैतामहं शुभम्

Transliteration

hitakṛtsarvalokasya yathā mātā yathā pitā | tena rājyaṃ samāsādya pitṛpaitāmahaṃ śubham

Translation

അവൻ സർവ്വലോകത്തിനും ഹിതം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ—മാതാവുപോലെയും പിതാവുപോലെയും ആയിരുന്നു. പിതാവിലും പിതാമഹന്മാരിലും നിന്നു ലഭിച്ച ആ ശുഭരാജ്യം പ്രാപിച്ച്,

Word by Word

• hitakṛt: benefactor
• hitakṛt: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hita (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛt (कृदन्त; √kṛ + कृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक (कर्तरि कृत्), विशेषण (one who does welfare)

• sarvalokasya: of all the people/world
• sarvalokasya: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yathā: like
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparison marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/तुलनार्थक (as/like)

• mātā: mother
• mātā: Upamāna (Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yathā: like
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparison marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानार्थक (as/like)

• pitā: father
• pitā: Upamāna (Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tena: by him / thereupon
• tena: Karana (Agent/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; तेन = तस्मात्/तदनन्तरं (by him/thereupon)

• rājyam: kingdom
• rājyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• samāsādya: having attained
• samāsādya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sad (धातु) + sam-ā- (उपसर्ग) + lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having obtained/attained)

• pitṛpaitāmaham: ancestral (paternal and grandpaternal)
• pitṛpaitāmaham: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + paitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (ancestral: of father and grandfather)

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (for rājyam)

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ajāpāleśvarī (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Ajāpāla is portrayed as a compassionate ruler caring for all people like mother and father, ascending an auspicious ancestral throne.

Characters & Entities

• Ajāpāla (implied)
• rājya (kingdom)
• sarvaloka (all people)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The ideal king protects and nurtures the people with parental compassion—this is a core expression of rāja-dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly, the verse supports the Ajāpāleśvarī tīrtha narrative by establishing the king’s virtue and authority as founder/patron.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes ethical kingship as the foundation for dharmic acts like establishing sacred sites.