Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

सर्वश्वेताः सुवेगाश्च श्यामैकश्रवणास्तथा । शतानि सप्तसंख्यानि तावत्संख्यै र्नरैयुताः

Transliteration

sarvaśvetāḥ suvegāśca śyāmaikaśravaṇāstathā | śatāni saptasaṃkhyāni tāvatsaṃkhyai rnaraiyutāḥ

Translation

Semuanya putih bersih, amat pantas, dan mempunyai satu telinga yang gelap. Jumlahnya tujuh ratus, dan disertai para lelaki dengan bilangan yang sama.

Word by Word

• sarva-śvetāḥ: all white
• sarva-śvetāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + śveta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (sarve śvetāḥ)

• suvegāḥ: very swift
• suvegāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + vega (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (su- = उपसर्गवत्)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• śyāma-eka-śravaṇāḥ: having one dark ear
• śyāma-eka-śravaṇāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śyāma (प्रातिपदिक) + eka (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + śravaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (śyāmaṃ ekaṃ śravaṇaṃ yeṣām—बहुव्रीह्यर्थे प्रयोगः सम्भवः)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थ (so, likewise)

• śatāni: hundreds
• śatāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• sapta-saṃkhyāni: seven in number
• sapta-saṃkhyāni: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (saptānāṃ saṃkhyāni / sapta-saṃkhyāni = seven in number)

• tāvat-saṃkhyaiḥ: with that same number
• tāvat-saṃkhyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Measure/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tāvat (प्रमाण-प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (tāvatī saṃkhyā yaiḥ)

• naraiḥ: by men
• naraiḥ: Sahakari (Association/सहकारि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• yutāḥ: joined, accompanied
• yutāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuj (धातु) → yuta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aśvatīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A procession-like tableau: seven hundred white horses, each with a single dark ear, aligned in rows; alongside them, an equal number of men, suggesting a divinely ordered emergence rather than chaos.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Ṛcīka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic vision presents dharma supported by divine order—right effort at a sacred place yields complete fulfillment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The water-source at the Gaṅgā-bank that produced the horses—recognized as Aśvatīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new prescription here; it confirms the result of the earlier japa/viniyoga in precise, verifiable marks.