Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

कात्यायन्या समाचक्ष्व कौतुकं नो व्यवस्थितम् । सामान्यो भविता नैष उपदेशस्तयेरितः

Transliteration

kātyāyanyā samācakṣva kautukaṃ no vyavasthitam | sāmānyo bhavitā naiṣa upadeśastayeritaḥ

Translation

โปรดอธิบายเรื่องของพระนางกาตยายนีแก่เราเถิด; ความใคร่รู้ของเรามั่นคงแล้ว คำสั่งสอนที่นางกล่าวนั้นมิใช่สิ่งสามัญ หากเป็นถ้อยคำอันล้ำค่า

Word by Word

• kātyāyanyā: by/through Kātyāyanī (i.e., concerning Kātyāyanī)
• kātyāyanyā: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kātyāyanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• samācakṣva: tell (fully)
• samācakṣva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-cakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• kautukam: the curiosity / matter of interest
• kautukam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kautuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• naḥ: to us / of us
• naḥ: Sampradana/Sambandha (Dative/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-बहुवचन-एकादेश (Genitive/Dative plural enclitic)

• vyavasthitam: settled / fixed
• vyavasthitam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-ava-sthā (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘स्थितम्’ = settled/established

• sāmānyaḥ: common / ordinary
• sāmānyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sāmānya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhavitā: will be
• bhavitā: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• eṣaḥ: this
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• upadeśaḥ: instruction
• upadeśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upadeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• tayā: by her
• tayā: Kartr̥-karana/Agentive Instrument
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• īritaḥ: spoken/propounded
• īritaḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: īr (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘उक्तः/प्रेरितः’ (uttered/propounded)

Speaker

Sages (implied interlocutors to Sūta, based on the next verse ‘Sūta uvāca’)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sages lean forward with joined palms, emphasizing earnest curiosity; Sūta prepares to narrate, indicating the gravity of the instruction.

Characters & Entities

• Kātyāyanī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sincere desire to hear dharma-filled instruction is itself a virtue; true counsel is regarded as extraordinary, not mundane.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as a narrative preface within the Tīrthamāhātmya; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it introduces a forthcoming teaching (upadeśa).