Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नंतरे तस्य नारदो मुनिसत्तमः । समागत्याब्रवीत्सर्वं तद्राक्षसविचेष्टितम्

Transliteration

etasminnaṃtare tasya nārado munisattamaḥ | samāgatyābravītsarvaṃ tadrākṣasaviceṣṭitam

Translation

ଏହି ମଧ୍ୟରେ ମୁନିଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠ ନାରଦ ଆସି ସବୁ କଥା କହିଲେ—ଏହା ସମସ୍ତ ରାକ୍ଷସର କୁଚେଷ୍ଟା ଓ କପଟକାର୍ଯ୍ୟ।

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन

• अन्तरे: in the interval/meanwhile
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• मुनिसत्तमः: the best of sages
• मुनिसत्तमः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मुनिनां सत्तमः) = 'best among sages'

• समागत्य: having arrived
• समागत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+आ+गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) = having come/arrived

• अब्रवीत्: said
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (परस्मैपद) = Imperfect; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• राक्षसविचेष्टितम्: the demon’s misdeed
• राक्षसविचेष्टितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa + viceṣṭita (प्रातिपदिक; √ceṣṭ क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (राक्षसस्य विचेष्टितम्) = 'the demon's deed/plot'

Speaker

Narrator (contextual: Purāṇic narrator; immediate speaker named within: Nārada)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada enters abruptly, vīṇā in hand, radiating authority; the court turns toward him as he explains the rākṣasa’s contrivance.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Rākṣasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine wisdom (through sages like Nārada) restores clarity, preventing adharma born from misunderstanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse does not specify a site; it advances the moral narrative within the Tīrthamāhātmya framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is on revelation of the true cause (rākṣasa deception).