Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

तावत्पृष्टो जनैः कैश्चित्कस्त्वं वत्स इहागतः । केन कार्येण नो ब्रूहि नात्र गच्छंति मानवाः

Transliteration

tāvatpṛṣṭo janaiḥ kaiścitkastvaṃ vatsa ihāgataḥ | kena kāryeṇa no brūhi nātra gacchaṃti mānavāḥ

Translation

แล้วผู้คนบางพวกถามเขาว่า “พ่อหนุ่มเอ๋ย เจ้าเป็นใครมาถึงที่นี่? จงบอกเราว่ามาด้วยธุระใด เพราะมนุษย์ทั้งหลายไม่ไปต่อจากที่นี่”

Word by Word

• तावत्: then
• तावत्: Kriya-viseshana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then/at that time)

• पृष्टः: was asked
• पृष्टः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु) → पृष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (दूतः इति विशेष्य, implied)

• जनैः: by people
• जनैः: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• कैः: by which/some
• कैः: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• चित्: some
• चित्: Sambandha (Indefiniteness marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अनिश्चितार्थक-अव्यय (enclitic particle forming ‘some/any’)

• कः: who
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; लिङ्ग-अनिश्चित

• वत्स: dear boy/child
• वत्स: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: here)

• आगतः: come/arrived
• आगतः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु) → आगत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle, क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (त्वम् इति विशेष्य)

• केन: by what/with what
• केन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कार्येण: purpose/business
• कार्येण: Hetu (Purpose/Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नः: to us/our
• नः: Sampradana (Beneficiary/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन; (अस्माकम्)

• ब्रूहि: tell
• ब्रूहि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• गच्छन्ति: go
• गच्छन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• मानवाः: men/humans
• मानवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Local people near Setu/Rāmeśvara (janaḥ)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setubandha frontier (near Rāmeśvara)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the edge of the sacred route, local pilgrims/guards question a young messenger; behind them the sea and the distant broken line of the Setu; the Rāmeśvara presence nearby anchors the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Setu region (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred landscapes carry rules and limits; humility and inquiry guide one’s movement through tīrtha geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Setu–Rāmeśvara area (from the immediately preceding verse).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes a travel restriction and a questioning of intent.