Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

अस्तं गतो महाञ्छब्दः प्रस्थितो यज्ञमंडपे । याज्ञिकानां तु विप्राणां सुमहाञ्छास्त्रसंभवः

Transliteration

astaṃ gato mahāñchabdaḥ prasthito yajñamaṃḍape | yājñikānāṃ tu viprāṇāṃ sumahāñchāstrasaṃbhavaḥ

Translation

เสียงอันยิ่งใหญ่สงบลง (เมื่อสุริยะลับฟ้า) และกิจกรรมเคลื่อนไปสู่มณฑปยัญญะ; ท่ามกลางพราหมณ์ผู้ประกอบพิธี ได้บังเกิดบทสวดใหญ่ยิ่งอันกำเนิดจากศาสตรา

Word by Word

• अस्तम्: to setting (west)/to disappearance
• अस्तम्: Gati/Desha (Goal/गति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; गतिविशेषण/दिशाबोधक (adverbial accusative used with गम्)

• गतः: gone
• गतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः भूतकृदन्तः (past participle)

• महान्: great
• महान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शब्दः: sound
• शब्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रस्थितः: departed/set out
• प्रस्थितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + स्था (धातु) → प्रस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः भूतकृदन्तः (past participle)

• यज्ञमण्डपे: in the sacrificial pavilion
• यज्ञमण्डपे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ + मण्डप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यज्ञस्य मण्डपः)

• याज्ञिकानाम्: of the officiating priests
• याज्ञिकानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: याज्ञिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• तु: but/and indeed
• तु: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेष/विरोधार्थक-निपात

• विप्राणाम्: of the brahmins
• विप्राणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• सुमहान्: very great
• सुमहान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (सु + महान्)

• शास्त्रसम्भवः: arising from scripture
• शास्त्रसम्भवः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शास्त्र + सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (शास्त्रात् सम्भवः / शास्त्रसम्भवः = arising from scripture)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual narration within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sun has set; the earlier great sound fades. The assembly moves toward the yajña pavilion where brāhmaṇa priests begin a powerful, scripture-born chant; lamps and firelight dominate.

Characters & Entities

• Yajña-maṇḍapa
• Vipra (brāhmaṇa) priests
• Śāstra (Vedic/ritual recitation)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are portrayed as living centers of yajña and śāstra—where sacred sound and rite sustain dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader glorification remains that of Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra within Nāgara-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse references yajña and scriptural recitation but does not give a prescriptive rule (vidhi) in this line.