Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

कूर्म उवाच । एवमेव द्विजश्रेष्ठ मम नामाङ्कितं पुरम् । भविष्यति महत्कालं ममोपरि सुसंस्थितम्

Transliteration

kūrma uvāca | evameva dvijaśreṣṭha mama nāmāṅkitaṃ puram | bhaviṣyati mahatkālaṃ mamopari susaṃsthitam

Translation

Kūrma berkata: “Demikianlah, wahai yang terbaik antara para dvija. Sebuah kota yang memikul namaku akan terwujud; untuk masa yang amat panjang ia akan teguh berdiri di atasku.”

Word by Word

• कूर्मः: Kūrma (the tortoise)
• कूर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Avyaya (Modifier/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (manner adverb)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis)

• द्विजश्रेष्ठ: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (द्विजस्य श्रेष्ठः), पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; Vocative singular

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; Genitive singular

• नामाङ्कितम्: marked with my name
• नामाङ्कितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नामन् + अङ्कित (अङ्क् धातु + क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (नाम्ना अङ्कितम्), क्त-कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; agrees with ‘पुरम्’

• पुरम्: the city
• पुरम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Nominative singular

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महत्कालम्: for a long time
• महत्कालम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time-span/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (महान् कालः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कालाधिकरण), एकवचन; Accusative of duration

• मम: of me
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; Genitive singular

• उपरि: upon, above
• उपरि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उपरि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपर्यर्थक (postposition ‘upon/above’)

• सुसंस्थितम्: well-established
• सुसंस्थितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + सम् + स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; agrees with ‘पुरम्’

Speaker

Kūrma

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kūrma-nāma-aṅkita-pura (eponymous city) in Revā-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-śreṣṭha (contextually Bhṛgu)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kūrma speaks to a foremost brāhmaṇa, declaring that an eponymous city will arise and remain established upon him for a long time; the sense is of a cosmic foundation beneath an emerging sacred city.

Characters & Entities

• Kūrma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are portrayed as divinely ordained and enduring; their stability symbolizes lasting merit (puṇya) and protection for devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse foreshadows a city/tīrtha named after Kūrma, within the Revā (Narmadā) sacred landscape connected to Bhṛgukaccha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the focus is on the destined establishment and permanence of the sacred settlement.