Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

नलोऽपि च वने तस्मिन्भ्रममाणो महीपतिः । एकाकी वृक्षकुंजानि सेवयामास सर्वदा

Transliteration

nalo'pi ca vane tasminbhramamāṇo mahīpatiḥ | ekākī vṛkṣakuṃjāni sevayāmāsa sarvadā

Translation

नलही त्या वनात भटकत होता—पृथ्वीचा राजा—एकाकी राहून तो नेहमी वृक्षकुंज व दाट झुडपांत आश्रय घेत असे।

Word by Word

• nalaḥ: Nala
• nalaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle) = also/even

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• vane: in the forest
• vane: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• tasmin: in that
• tasmin: Visheshana (Qualifier of vane)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• bhramamāṇaḥ: wandering
• bhramamāṇaḥ: Karta (Agent as participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhram (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी अर्थः = wandering

• mahīpatiḥ: the king
• mahīpatiḥ: Apposition to Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (महीनां पतिः) = king

• ekākī: alone
• ekākī: Visheshana (Qualifier of nalaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + ākī/ākin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः = alone (single, solitary)

• vṛkṣakuñjāni: groves of trees
• vṛkṣakuñjāni: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + kuñja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (वृक्षाणां कुञ्जानि)

• sevayāmāsa: served/attended
• sevayāmāsa: Kriya (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sev (धातु)
• Form: परस्मैपद, लिट्-रूपेण परिप्रास (periphrastic perfect): सेवयाम् + आस; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• sarvadā: always
• sarvadā: Kriya-viseshana (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; specific speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone king, disheveled yet dignified, moving among dense tree-groves and thorny thickets; the contrast of royal bearing and wilderness hardship is central.

Characters & Entities

• Nala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Status cannot prevent karmic hardship; dharma is proved by endurance and inner restraint when alone.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

This is narrative setup within the Tīrthamāhātmya chapter that proceeds toward Hāṭakeśvara Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is mentioned.