Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

अजापालो यदा राजा सर्वलोकहिते रतः । अजारूपाः प्रयांति स्म व्याधयः सकला द्विजाः । तदा रात्रौ समानीय तस्मिन्स्थाने दधाति सः

Transliteration

ajāpālo yadā rājā sarvalokahite rataḥ | ajārūpāḥ prayāṃti sma vyādhayaḥ sakalā dvijāḥ | tadā rātrau samānīya tasminsthāne dadhāti saḥ

Translation

เมื่อพระราชาอชาปาละทรงมุ่งมั่นเพื่อประโยชน์สุขของปวงชน โอ้ทวิชะ โรคภัยทั้งปวงก็มักมาปรากฏในรูปแพะ แล้วในยามราตรีพระองค์ทรงรวบรวมมันทั้งหลายและนำไปกักไว้ ณ สถานที่นั้นเอง

Word by Word

• अजापालः: the goatherd/keeper of goats
• अजापालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अजापाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अजायाः पालः)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Temporal link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'when')

• राजा: king
• राजा: Apposition to Karta (कर्ता-विशेषण/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वलोकहिते: in the welfare of all worlds/people
• सर्वलोकहिते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-लोक-हित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सर्वेषां लोकानां हितम्)

• रतः: engaged, devoted
• रतः: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √रम् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

• अजारूपाः: having the form of goats
• अजारूपाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अजा-रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (अजाया रूपम् इव/अजाया रूपम्)

• प्रयान्ति: go forth, depart
• प्रयान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• स्म: indeed/then (narrative marker)
• स्म: Discourse particle (वृत्तान्तसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्म (अव्यय)
• Form: स्म-कारक-अव्यय; भूतार्थ/वृत्तान्तसूचक (narrative particle)

• व्याधयः: diseases
• व्याधयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• सकलाः: all, entire
• सकलाः: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; व्याधयः इति विशेषणम्

• द्विजाः: twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Apposition to Karta (समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; व्याधयः इति समनाधिकरण (metaphoric apposition)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Temporal link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समानीय: having brought together
• समानीय: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √नी (धातु) + सम् (उपसर्ग) + ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): 'having brought/collected'

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (pronoun)

• स्थाने: place
• स्थाने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दधाति: places, puts
• दधाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √धा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (pronoun)

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ajāgṛha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas / dvijas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dharmic king at night gathers goat-formed diseases and confines them at a marked sacred spot; the atmosphere is hushed, moonlit, and protective.

Characters & Entities

• Ajāpāla (king)
• Vyādhi (disease)
• Ajāgṛhā (implied sacred spot)
• Dvijas (brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A righteous ruler devoted to lokahita participates in removing collective suffering; sacred places become instruments of healing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘place’ associated with Ajāgṛhā within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya, presented as a locus for containing/dissolving disease.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is detailed; the verse narrates a practice of gathering and placing the manifested diseases at the sacred spot at night.