Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

भगवन्के सुरास्ते तु केषुकेषु निवासिनः । एतद्विस्तरतो ब्रूहि ममानुग्रहकाम्यया

Transliteration

bhagavanke surāste tu keṣukeṣu nivāsinaḥ | etadvistarato brūhi mamānugrahakāmyayā

Translation

“ਹੇ ਭਗਵਨ, ਉਹ ਕਿਹੜੇ ਦੇਵਤਾ ਹਨ, ਅਤੇ ਕਿਹੜੇ-ਕਿਹੜੇ ਦਰੱਖਤਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੱਸਦੇ ਹਨ? ਮੇਰੇ ਉੱਤੇ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਕਰਨ ਦੀ ਇੱਛਾ ਨਾਲ ਇਹ ਗੱਲ ਵਿਸਥਾਰ ਨਾਲ ਦੱਸੋ।”

Word by Word

• bhagavan: O Lord
• bhagavan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• ke: who?
• ke: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural (interrogative pronoun)

• surāḥ: gods
• surāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• te: those
• te: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural (demonstrative pronoun)

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle) — Indeclinable particle (contrast/emphasis)

• keṣu: in which (places)
• keṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन — Neuter, Locative, Plural (interrogative)

• keṣu: in which (among which)
• keṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन — Neuter, Locative, Plural (repetition for distributive sense)

• nivāsinaḥ: residents/dwellers
• nivāsinaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nivāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• vistarataḥ: in detail
• vistarataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय, अव्ययीभावार्थ)
• Form: अव्यय, तसिलन्त (ablatival adverb) — Indeclinable adverb “in detail/at length”

• brūhi: tell (me)
• brūhi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Imperative, 2nd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — Genitive, Singular

• anugraha-kāmyayā: out of desire for (your) favor
• anugraha-kāmyayā: Hetu/Karana (Cause/Instrument/हेतु/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anugraha (प्रातिपदिक) + kāmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन — Feminine, Instrumental, Singular; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अनुग्रहस्य काम्या) — genitive tatpurusha “desiring (your) favor”

Speaker

Śūdra (questioner)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Paija-vana (didactic locus)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close dialogue: the questioner bows, hands joined, asking for detailed enumeration; the sage gestures toward different trees as if about to name their resident devas.

Characters & Entities

• Surāḥ (Devas)
• Vṛkṣa (implied trees)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humble inquiry and seeking detailed dharma-teaching is itself presented as a path to receiving anugraha (grace).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya setting, but the verse asks generally about devas in trees.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A preparatory prescription: learn the specific divine associations of trees to perform worship/service correctly during Cāturmāsya.