Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

कुरुष्व त्वं ममातिथ्यं गृहप्राप्तस्य पर्वत । आत्मपुत्रप्रदानेन कीर्तिं प्राप्स्यस्यलौकिकीम्

Transliteration

kuruṣva tvaṃ mamātithyaṃ gṛhaprāptasya parvata | ātmaputrapradānena kīrtiṃ prāpsyasyalaukikīm

Translation

Wahai Gunung, berilah aku layanan tetamu, kerana aku telah tiba di kediamanmu. Dengan mempersembahkan puteramu sendiri (untuk berkhidmat), engkau akan memperoleh kemasyhuran luar biasa yang termasyhur di dunia.

Word by Word

• कुरुष्व: do / perform
• कुरुष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; (कुरु + स्व/उपसर्गात्मक-निपातः, आज्ञार्थे)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मम: my
• मम: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आतिथ्यम्: hospitality
• आतिथ्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आतिथ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गृहप्राप्तस्य: of (one) who has reached the house / arrived home
• गृहप्राप्तस्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक) + प्राप्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √प्राप्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle) ‘प्राप्त’; सप्तमी/द्वितीया-तत्पुरुषार्थे (गृहं प्राप्तः) ; विशेषण (अतिथेः/मम)

• पर्वत: O mountain
• पर्वत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• आत्मपुत्रप्रदानेन: by the giving of (your) own son
• आत्मपुत्रप्रदानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (आत्मनः पुत्रस्य प्रदानम्)

• कीर्तिम्: fame
• कीर्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्राप्स्यसि: you will obtain
• प्राप्स्यसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप्/प्राप् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अलौकिकीम्: unworldly, extraordinary
• अलौकिकीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अलौकिकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (कीर्तिम्)

Speaker

Sahasrākṣa (Śakra/Indra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgabīla (implied destination)

Type: cave

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, as honored guest, asks Himālaya to host him and to offer Raktaśṛṅga’s service, promising extraordinary worldly fame.

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Himālaya (the Mountain)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Atithi-dharma (honouring a guest) is praised as a powerful virtue that leads to lasting, even extraordinary, renown and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya sequence pointing toward Nāgabila (named later), preparing the sacred-geography context rather than naming the tirtha directly here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite is prescribed; the dharmic act emphasized is guest-honour, framed as an offering of service through one’s son.