Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

तथाऽपि हि प्रकर्तव्यं युष्माकं सत्यमेव हि । अपि गुह्यतमं चेत्स्याच्छृण्वंतु मुनिसत्तमाः

Transliteration

tathā'pi hi prakartavyaṃ yuṣmākaṃ satyameva hi | api guhyatamaṃ cetsyācchṛṇvaṃtu munisattamāḥ

Translation

तथापि युष्माकं प्रार्थना कर्तव्या—सत्यमेव हि। अपि गुह्यतमं चेत्, शृण्वन्तु मुनिसत्तमाः॥

Word by Word

• tathā: thus/so
• tathā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: ‘thus/so’)

• api: even/though
• api: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (निपात)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (particle: ‘even/also/though’)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (निपात)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चयार्थक निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• prakartavyam: should be done
• prakartavyam: Kriya (Obligation predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligative), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘to be done/should be done’

• yuṣmākam: of you/your
• yuṣmākam: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• satyam: truth
• satyam: Karta (Predicate-noun/कर्तृस्थानीय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (निपात)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (restrictive particle: ‘only/indeed’)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (निपात)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (निपात)
• Form: अपि-निपात (particle: ‘even/also’)

• guhyatamam: most secret
• guhyatamam: Karma (Object complement/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: guhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तमप्-प्रत्यय (superlative)

• cet: if
• cet: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cet (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक अव्यय (conditional particle: ‘if’)

• syāt: should be/were to be
• syāt: Kriya (Conditional verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• śṛṇvantu: let (them) hear
• śṛṇvantu: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• muni-sattamāḥ: the best sages
• muni-sattamāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Unspecified (continuation of the same speaker addressing sages)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni-sattamas / dvija-śreṣṭhas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king resolves to speak; his posture straightens, bashfulness gives way to dharmic firmness; sages sit poised to listen.

Characters & Entities

• Munis (sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Truthful seekers and worthy hearers (munis) are considered fit recipients of even guarded sacred teachings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The specific tīrtha remains implicit in this verse; it sets the stage for the tīrtha-māhātmya account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is mentioned; the act emphasized is śravaṇa—reverent listening to sacred narration.