Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीदेव्युवाच । नैतेष्वपि सुरश्रेष्ठ सर्वेषु भुवि मानवाः । अपि दीर्घायुषो भूत्वा स्नातुं शक्ताः कथंचन

Transliteration

śrīdevyuvāca | naiteṣvapi suraśreṣṭha sarveṣu bhuvi mānavāḥ | api dīrghāyuṣo bhūtvā snātuṃ śaktāḥ kathaṃcana

Translation

พระเทวีตรัสว่า: โอ้ผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่เทวะ แม้มวลมนุษย์จะมีอายุยืนอยู่บนแผ่นดิน ก็หามีความสามารถไม่ที่จะลงอาบในตีรถะทั้งปวงเหล่านี้โดยประการใดๆ

Word by Word

• श्रीदेवी: the revered Goddess
• श्रीदेवी: Karta (Speaker/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय—श्रीरूपा देवी

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

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• एतेषु: among these
• एतेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• सुरश्रेष्ठ: O best of gods
• सुरश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—सुराणां श्रेष्ठः

• सर्वेषु: in all
• सर्वेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• मानवाः: humans
• मानवाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• दीर्घायुषः: long-lived
• दीर्घायुषः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of मानवाः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ + आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष—दीर्घम् आयुः येषाम् (long-lived)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• स्नातुम्: to bathe
• स्नातुम्: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive)

• शक्ताः: able
• शक्ताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of मानवाः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (समर्थाः)

• कथंचन: in any way; somehow
• कथंचन: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथंचन (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Collective Nāgara-khaṇḍa tīrthas (enumerated set)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Suraśreṣṭha (best of gods; not specified in excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī speaks to a great god amid a map-like panorama of many tīrthas—rivers, temples, coasts—while human pilgrims appear small, emphasizing the immensity of sacred geography.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Pārvatī)
• Śiva (addressed as Suraśreṣṭha)
• Tīrthas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tradition acknowledges human limitation and sets up the teaching of concentrated or substitute means to obtain tīrtha-merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named; the verse refers collectively to the many tīrthas previously enumerated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None yet; it is a question that prepares for instruction about essential or summary tīrthas.