Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । सोऽपि विप्रो द्विजश्रेष्ठा विस्फोटकपरिप्लुतः । लज्जया परया युक्तो गत्वा किंचिद्वनांतरम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | so'pi vipro dvijaśreṣṭhā visphoṭakapariplutaḥ | lajjayā parayā yukto gatvā kiṃcidvanāṃtaram

Translation

Sūta disse: Aquele brāhmaṇa também — embora fosse o mais importante entre os duas vezes nascidos — estava coberto de feridas eruptivas; dominado por profunda vergonha, ele foi para uma parte isolada da floresta.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (also/even)

• विप्रः: a Brahmin
• विप्रः: Karta (Apposition to 'saḥ')
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• द्विजश्रेष्ठः: best of the twice-born
• द्विजश्रेष्ठः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• विस्फोटकपरिप्लुतः: afflicted/covered with boils
• विस्फोटकपरिप्लुतः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विस्फोटक (प्रातिपदिक) + परिप्लुत (प्रातिपदिक; √प्लु/प्लव्-आधारित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'saḥ/vipraḥ')

• लज्जया: with shame
• लज्जया: Karana (Cause/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लज्जा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• परया: great, intense
• परया: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषण (of lajjayā)

• युक्तः: endowed (with)
• युक्तः: Karta (Predicate adjective of 'saḥ')
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √युज्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'युक्त' = endowed/connected

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया (having gone)

• किंचित्: a little / somewhat
• किंचित्: Visheshana (Degree/measure)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किंचित् (अव्यय/सर्वनाम-नपुंसक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; परिमाणवाचक (somewhat/a little)

• वनान्तरम्: a forest interior / secluded forest place
• वनान्तरम्: Karma (Object of motion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; गमनस्य कर्म (object of 'gatvā')

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (assembly of sages, implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned brāhmaṇa, body marked with eruptive sores, covers himself with a cloth and walks away from a village into a quiet forest glade, head bowed in shame.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Trijāta (implied by narrative continuity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Shame and suffering can become catalysts for vairāgya, turning a person toward austerity and spiritual remedy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra context continues, though this verse describes the seeker’s withdrawal to a forest setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the verse introduces withdrawal and the beginning of a purificatory path.