Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

यदा पार्थः समायातस्तीर्थयात्रां प्रति द्विजाः । युधिष्ठिरसमादेशाच्छक्रप्रस्थात्पुरोत्तमात्

Transliteration

yadā pārthaḥ samāyātastīrthayātrāṃ prati dvijāḥ | yudhiṣṭhirasamādeśācchakraprasthātpurottamāt

Translation

Wahai para brahmana, ketika Pārtha (Arjuna) berangkat untuk tirtha-yātrā, ziarah ke tempat-tempat suci, beliau meninggalkan Indraprastha (Śakraprastha) yang mulia atas perintah Yudhiṣṭhira.

Word by Word

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb: “when”)

• पार्थः: Pārtha (Arjuna)
• पार्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• समायातः: arrived
• समायातः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā√yā (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्तः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे (past participle: “having come/arrived”)

• तीर्थ-यात्राम्: pilgrimage to sacred places
• तीर्थ-यात्राम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + yātrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थेषु यात्रा); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; प्रति-योगे कर्म (object with prati)

• प्रति: towards / for
• प्रति: Sambandha (Direction/Relation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृशं सम्बन्धबोधकम् (preposition-like indeclinable: “towards/for”)

• द्विजाः: twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• द्विजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (contextually: brāhmaṇas)

• युधिष्ठिर-समादेशात्: from Yudhiṣṭhira’s command
• युधिष्ठिर-समादेशात्: Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudhiṣṭhira (प्रातिपदिक) + sam-ādeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (युधिष्ठिरस्य समादेशः); पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; हेतौ/निमित्ते (ablative of cause: “by/owing to the command”)

• शक्र-प्रस्थात्: from Śakraprastha (Indraprastha)
• शक्र-प्रस्थात्: Apadana (Source/Place)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakra (प्रातिपदिक) + prastha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शक्रस्य प्रस्थः = इन्द्रप्रस्थः); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; अपादाने (ablative of place: “from”)

• पुर-उत्तमात्: from the excellent city
• पुर-उत्तमात्: Apadana (Source/Place)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pura (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः कर्मधारयः (उत्तमं पुरम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; शक्रप्रस्थस्य विशेषणम् (appositional: “from the best city”)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; not explicit in the verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tīrtha-yātrā (general)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas (dvijāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Arjuna departs from Indraprastha on a sacred journey: palace gates, royal standards, sages/brāhmaṇas blessing him, Yudhiṣṭhira’s authority implied; the road opens toward rivers and shrines.

Characters & Entities

• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Śakraprastha (Indraprastha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage (tīrtha-yātrā) is undertaken as an act of dharma and obedience to righteous counsel, not merely personal desire.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named yet; the verse introduces the tīrtha-yātrā narrative that will unfold through multiple sacred sites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse indicates the vow-like undertaking of tīrtha-yātrā itself; no specific snāna/dāna/japa is detailed here.