Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

शंतनोर्दयितः पुत्रो गांगेय इति विश्रुतः । आसीत्पुरा वरो नृणामूर्ध्वरेताः सुविश्रुतः

Transliteration

śaṃtanordayitaḥ putro gāṃgeya iti viśrutaḥ | āsītpurā varo nṛṇāmūrdhvaretāḥ suviśrutaḥ

Translation

శంతనువు ప్రియపుత్రుడు ‘గాంగేయుడు’ అని ప్రసిద్ధుడు; అతడు పూర్వకాలంలో మనుష్యులలో శ్రేష్ఠుడై, ఊర్ధ్వరేతస్సు (బ్రహ్మచర్యతేజస్సు) గలవాడిగా సువిశ్రుతుడయ్యెను।

Word by Word

• śaṃtanoḥ: of Śaṃtanu
• śaṃtanoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃtanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• dayitaḥ: beloved
• dayitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dayita (प्रातिपदिक; kta from √dī/√day ‘to love’ in sense ‘beloved’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying putraḥ)

• putraḥ: son
• putraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• gāṃgeyaḥ: Gāṅgeya (son of Gaṅgā)
• gāṃgeyaḥ: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāṃgeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपनाम (patronymic)

• iti: thus/so (called)
• iti: Vacana-sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यादि-उद्धरण/नामनिर्देश (quotative/marker of designation)

• viśrutaḥ: well-known
• viśrutaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśruta (प्रातिपदिक; kta from √śru ‘to hear’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying gāṃgeyaḥ/putraḥ)

• āsīt: was
• āsīt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• purā: formerly/once
• purā: Kāla-adhikarana (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• varaḥ: excellent/best
• varaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying putraḥ/gāṃgeyaḥ)

• nṛṇām: of men
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ūrdhva-retāḥ: celibate/continent
• ūrdhva-retāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक) + retas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (whose semen is restrained/raised; celibate)

• su-viśrutaḥ: very famous
• su-viśrutaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + viśruta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; ‘su’ उपसर्गार्थे (intensifier)

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattamāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Portrait-like depiction of young Devavrata/Bhīṣma as Gāṅgeya—calm, radiant, ascetic in demeanor yet kṣatriya in bearing—suggesting the power of brahmacarya.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṁtanu
• Gāṅgeya
• Bhīṣma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Exemplary dharma—especially self-restraint—is highlighted as the spiritual authority behind acts that sanctify a holy place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ongoing narrative situates Bhīṣma within the same Sūrya-kṣetra context introduced in Adhyāya 57.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse provides character praise establishing Bhīṣma’s dhārmic stature.