Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

ते लिखित्वा महीपाला न्यौवनस्थान्वयोऽन्वितान् । रूपौदार्यगुणोपेतान्दर्शयामासुरग्रतः । रत्नवत्याः क्रमेणैव तस्य भूपस्य शासनात्

Transliteration

te likhitvā mahīpālā nyauvanasthānvayo'nvitān | rūpaudāryaguṇopetāndarśayāmāsuragrataḥ | ratnavatyāḥ krameṇaiva tasya bhūpasya śāsanāt

Translation

ครั้นวาดพระมหากษัตริย์ทั้งหลายแล้ว—ผู้เยาว์วัยในวัยอันรุ่งเรือง มีเชื้อสายสูงส่ง ประกอบด้วยความงาม ความเอื้ออารี และคุณธรรม—พวกเขาก็นำมาแสดงต่อหน้าพระนางรัตนวตีทีละองค์ ตามพระบัญชาของกษัตริย์นั้น

Word by Word

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन

• लिखित्वा: having drawn/painted
• लिखित्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Gerund/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लिख् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया

• महीपालान्: kings
• महीपालान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही-पाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचन; समासः—महीम् पालयति इति (protector of earth)

• यौवनस्थान्: in their youth
• यौवनस्थान्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यौवन-स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचन; समासः—यौवने स्थितः (being in youth); विशेषणम् (of ‘महीपालान्’)

• वयः-अन्वितान्: endowed with (proper) age/vigor
• वयः-अन्वितान्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वयस्-अन्वित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचन; समासः—वयसा अन्वितः (endowed with age/youthful vigor); विशेषणम्

• रूपौदार्यगुणोपेतान्: possessed of beauty, nobility, and virtues
• रूपौदार्यगुणोपेतान्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रूप-औदार्य-गुण-उपेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः—रूपेण औदार्येण गुणैश्च उपेतः (possessed of beauty, generosity, virtues); विशेषणम्

• दर्शयामासुः: they showed
• दर्शयामासुः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिच् (causative) ‘they showed’

• अग्रतः: before (her), in front
• अग्रतः: Desha-adhikarana (Place adjunct/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्रतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (spatial adverb) ‘in front/before’

• रत्नवत्याः: of Ratnavatī
• रत्नवत्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्नवती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन

• क्रमेण: in sequence, one by one
• क्रमेण: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनस्य अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; क्रियाविशेषण (in order/one by one)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis particle/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन

• भूपस्य: of the king
• भूपस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; एकवचन

• शासनात्: by (his) command
• शासनात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शासन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान); एकवचन; हेतौ/निमित्ते (as cause: ‘by order of’)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Portraits of many youthful kings—handsome, noble, virtuous—are displayed one after another before Princess Ratnavatī in the palace hall, under the king’s directive.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Ratnavatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worthiness is measured by guṇa (virtue) alongside status; dharma values character as the basis of rightful union.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is explicitly named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it narrates the orderly presentation of eligible kings.