Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

त्वं गत्वा मारुते शीघ्रं भूमिं जानीहि कारणम् । किमेतत्पुष्पकं व्योम्नि निश्चलत्वमुपागतम्

Transliteration

tvaṃ gatvā mārute śīghraṃ bhūmiṃ jānīhi kāraṇam | kimetatpuṣpakaṃ vyomni niścalatvamupāgatam

Translation

ஓ மாருதி, நீ விரைந்து சென்று பூமியில் காரணத்தை அறிந்து வா; இந்த புஷ்பக விமானம் ஆகாயத்தில் ஏன் அசையாது நின்றது?

Word by Word

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Sambandha (Prior action/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• mārute: O Māruta (son of Wind)
• mārute: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māruta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन

• śīghram: quickly
• śīghram: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śīghra (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), शीघ्रतावाचक

• bhūmim: the earth, ground
• bhūmim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (destination/object of knowing)

• jānīhi: know, ascertain
• jānīhi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kāraṇam: the cause
• kāraṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (object of knowing)

• kim: what?
• kim: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• etat: this
• etat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; पुष्पकम् इति विशेषण

• puṣpakam: Puṣpaka (vehicle)
• puṣpakam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता (with upāgatam)

• vyomni: in the sky
• vyomni: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyoman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• niścalatvam: motionlessness
• niścalatvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niścala-tva (प्रातिपदिक; निश्चल + त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म/प्राप्तवस्तु (state attained)

• upāgatam: has attained, has come to
• upāgatam: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-ā-gam (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय (predicate)

Speaker

Rāma

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma issues a decisive command to Hanumān to descend swiftly and find the cause; Hanumān prepares to leap downward from the hovering vimāna toward the earth.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Hanumān (Māruti)
• Puṣpaka Vimāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred events invite discernment (viveka): one should investigate the dhārmic cause behind extraordinary signs.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The investigation leads to the identification of the holy field below as Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the action prescribed is investigative service in support of revealing a tīrtha’s greatness.