Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

पथिक उवाच । अस्ति कान्तीपुरीनाम पुरंदरपुरी यथा । सुस्थितैः सेविता नित्यं जनैर्धर्मव्रतान्वितैः

Transliteration

pathika uvāca | asti kāntīpurīnāma puraṃdarapurī yathā | susthitaiḥ sevitā nityaṃ janairdharmavratānvitaiḥ

Translation

ପଥିକ କହିଲା—‘କାନ୍ତୀପୁରୀ’ ନାମରେ ଏକ ନଗରୀ ଅଛି, ପୁରନ୍ଦର (ଇନ୍ଦ୍ର) ପୁରୀ ପରି; ସେଠାରେ ଧର୍ମ-ବ୍ରତଯୁକ୍ତ ସୁସ୍ଥିତ ଲୋକେ ନିତ୍ୟ ବସି ସେବା କରନ୍ତି।

Word by Word

• पथिकः: the traveller
• पथिकः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पथिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; वक्ता

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अस्ति: there is
• अस्ति: Kriya (Existential/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कान्तीपुरी: Kāntīpurī
• कान्तीपुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कान्तीपुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम (नगरनाम)

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming particle/नाम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नामनिर्देशक (by name)

• पुरन्दरपुरी: Purandarapurī
• पुरन्दरपुरी: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरन्दरपुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपमान (यथा)

• यथा: like
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative marker/उपमानसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमावाचक (like)

• सुस्थितैः: by well-established (people)
• सुस्थितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + स्थित (स्था धातु, क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; विशेषण (जनैः)

• सेविता: frequented/served
• सेविता: Kriya (Predicative/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सेव् (धातु) → सेवित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि भाव (is frequented)

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Sambandha (Temporal adverb/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावे प्रयोग; कालवाचक अव्यय (always)

• जनैः: by people
• जनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन

• धर्मव्रतान्वितैः: endowed with vows of dharma
• धर्मव्रतान्वितैः: Karana (Instrument-qualifier/करणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्वित (कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (धर्म-व्रतैः अन्वितैः); पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (जनैः)

Speaker

Pathika (the traveler/guest)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāntīpurī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A verbal panorama of Kāntīpurī: orderly streets, prosperous homes, temples, and dharma-observant citizens; the city is likened to Indra’s Amarāvatī.

Characters & Entities

• Kāntīpurī
• Purandara (Indra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A place becomes spiritually luminous through dharmic residents and vowed living; sacred geography is shaped by collective virtue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāntīpurī is introduced as an exemplary city; the specific tīrtha connected to healing is described later in the traveler’s narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dharma-vrata (righteous vows/observances) is referenced generally, without naming a particular rite.