Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तेनैव यजता तत्र को हीष्टः प्रब्रवीहि नः । ऋत्विजः के स्थितास्तत्र यैस्तत्कर्म मखोद्भवम् । तत्प्रत्यक्षे कृतं सर्वमेतन्नः कौतुकं परम्

Transliteration

tenaiva yajatā tatra ko hīṣṭaḥ prabravīhi naḥ | ṛtvijaḥ ke sthitāstatra yaistatkarma makhodbhavam | tatpratyakṣe kṛtaṃ sarvametannaḥ kautukaṃ param

Translation

เมื่อท่านผู้นั้นประกอบยัญญะ ณ ที่นั้นด้วยตนเอง เทพองค์ใดเป็นที่บูชาหลัก? โปรดบอกแก่เราเถิด และมีฤตวิช (ปุโรหิตผู้ประกอบยัญญะ) ผู้ใดประจำอยู่ ณ ที่นั้น โดยผู้ใดกิจแห่งยัญญะอันบังเกิดจากมฆะ (ยัญญะ) จึงสำเร็จ? ทั้งหมดนี้เกิดขึ้นต่อหน้าต่อตาพวกเขา นี่คือความอัศจรรย์ยิ่งของเรา

Word by Word

• tena: by him/with that
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (pronoun), Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphatic particle (निश्चय/एवकार)

• yajatā: by the one who was sacrificing
• yajatā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yaj (यज् धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: Present active participle (वर्तमान-कृदन्त, शतृ), Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; qualifying 'tena'

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of place (देशवाचक)

• kaḥ: who?
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative pronoun, Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (निपात), explanatory/emphatic

• iṣṭaḥ: (was) the sacrificer / the one who performed the sacrifice
• iṣṭaḥ: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yaj (यज् धातु) + kta (क्त) / iṣṭa (इष्ट)
• Form: Past passive participle (भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicate adjective

• prabravīhi: tell (us)
• prabravīhi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + brū (ब्रू धातु)
• Form: Loṭ (imperative/आज्ञार्थ), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person/मध्यम), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada

• naḥ: to us/our
• naḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pronoun, Genitive/Dative enclitic (षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-समर्थ), Plural sense; here as dative ‘to us’

• ṛtvijaḥ: priests (ṛtviks)
• ṛtvijaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛtvij (ऋत्विज् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ke: which/who (plural)?
• ke: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative pronoun, Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• sthitāḥ: standing/present
• sthitāḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (स्था धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle, Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; qualifying 'ṛtvijaḥ'

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of place

• yaiḥ: by whom
• yaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun, Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun used adjectivally, Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; qualifying 'karma'

• karma: ritual act/deed
• karma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (कर्मन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• makhodbhavam: arising from the sacrifice (makha)
• makhodbhavam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: makha (मख) + udbhava (उद्भव)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa compound; Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; qualifying 'karma'

• tat: that
• tat: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun used adjectivally; component of compound with 'pratyakṣe'

• pratyakṣe: in (their) presence / before their eyes
• pratyakṣe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratyakṣa (प्रत्यक्ष प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (tat + pratyakṣa); Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• kṛtam: done/performed
• kṛtam: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle, Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicate with 'sarvam etat'

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (सर्व प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (एतद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; apposition to 'sarvam'

• naḥ: our
• naḥ: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pronoun, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural sense

• kautukam: curiosity/wonder
• kautukam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kautuka (कौतुक प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• param: great/supreme
• param: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (पर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; qualifying 'kautukam'

Speaker

Ṛṣis (sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijapuṅgava-s / brāhmaṇa audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of inquisitive brāhmaṇas in a tīrtha-āśrama asks about the iṣṭa-devatā and the ṛtvij assembly of a famed sacrifice; the atmosphere is charged with wonder at a ‘seen’ miracle.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Iṣṭa-devatā (chiefly worshipped deity)
• Ṛtvij
• Makha (yajña)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True listening seeks specifics—understanding dharma includes knowing the deity-focus, the officiants, and the exact performance of sacred rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The inquiry continues within the same sacred-region narrative (Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra and Puṣkara-traya context).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It asks for ritual particulars: chief deity worshipped (iṣṭa), the ṛtvij priests, and how the makha-born rite was executed.