Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

प्रासादस्त्वंबरीषेण भूभुजा स विनिर्मितः । कथंचित्समयं प्राप्य यथोक्तं शास्त्रचिंतकैः

Transliteration

prāsādastvaṃbarīṣeṇa bhūbhujā sa vinirmitaḥ | kathaṃcitsamayaṃ prāpya yathoktaṃ śāstraciṃtakaiḥ

Translation

ଏହି ପ୍ରାସାଦଟି ଭୂଭୁଜ ରାଜା ଅମ୍ବରୀଷ ନିର୍ମାଣ କରାଇଥିଲେ। ଯଥୋଚିତ ସମୟ ପାଇ ଶାସ୍ତ୍ରବିଦ୍ମାନଙ୍କ ନିର୍ଦ୍ଦେଶାନୁସାରେ ସେ ଯଥାବିଧି ଗଢ଼ିଥିଲେ।

Word by Word

• prāsādaḥ: the palace/temple
• prāsādaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāsāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वय-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• aṃbarīṣeṇa: by Ambarīṣa
• aṃbarīṣeṇa: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṃbarīṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• bhū-bhujā: by the king
• bhū-bhujā: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक) + bhuj (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (भुवं भुङ्क्ते इति = राजा)

• saḥ: he/that (king)
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vinirmitaḥ: was constructed
• vinirmitaḥ: Kriyā (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-nir-√mā (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थ (constructed)

• kathaṃcit: somehow
• kathaṃcit: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kathaṃcit (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: somehow/by some means)

• samayam: time/occasion
• samayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• prāpya: having obtained
• prāpya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√āp (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया; ‘having obtained/reached’

• yathā-uktam: as stated
• yathā-uktam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + ukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √vac)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; अर्थः ‘यथा उक्तम्’ (as said)

• śāstra-ciṃtakaiḥ: by the thinkers of the scriptures
• śāstra-ciṃtakaiḥ: Karaṇa/Agent-associate (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāstra (प्रातिपदिक) + ciṃtaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शास्त्रस्य चिन्तकाः)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rātrinātha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (implied continuing audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Ambarīṣa overseeing temple construction: architects with palm-leaf plans, craftsmen carving pillars, brāhmaṇa advisors indicating śāstric measurements; the rising prāsāda within the kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Ambarīṣa
• Śāstra-ciṃtaka (śāstra authorities)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Temple-building becomes a dharmic act when done with śraddhā and in accordance with śāstric injunctions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The temple within the Rātrinātha/Hāṭakeśvara sacred precinct described in the Soma-prāsāda māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Construction is to be done “yathoktaṃ”—as laid down by śāstra experts (implying vāstu/āgamic conformity).