Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

अथोवाच पुनर्विप्रान्स कृत्वा चोच्छ्रितं भुजम । तारनादेन महता सर्वांस्तान्नागरोद्भवान्

Transliteration

athovāca punarviprānsa kṛtvā cocchritaṃ bhujama | tāranādena mahatā sarvāṃstānnāgarodbhavān

Translation

แล้วเขากล่าวแก่พราหมณ์ทั้งหลายอีกครั้งหนึ่ง; ยกแขนขึ้นสูง และเปล่งเสียงก้องกังวานอันยิ่งใหญ่ เรียกชาวนาคาระผู้เป็นคนท้องถิ่นทั้งหมดให้มาชุมนุม

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक (then/now)

• उवाच: said/spoke
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (again)

• विप्रान्: to the brāhmaṇas
• विप्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचनम्

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• कृत्वा: having done/made
• कृत्वा: Sambandha (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• उच्छ्रितम्: raised
• उच्छ्रितम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्√श्रि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (past passive participle/क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; ‘भुजम्’ विशेषणम्

• भुजम्: arm
• भुजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• तारणादेन: with a loud rescuing/‘tāraṇa’ cry
• तारणादेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तारण + नाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (tāraṇasya nādaḥ)

• महतā: great/loud
• महतā: Karana (Instrument qualifier/करण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (agreeing with नादेन)

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• नागरोद्भवान्: those born/arisen from Nāgara
• नागरोद्भवान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागर + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (nāgarāt udbhavāḥ = arising from Nāgara)

Speaker

Unspecified (a leading brāhmaṇa/authority figure within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa narrative context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A leader stands before assembled brāhmaṇas, arm raised high, issuing a resonant call that gathers the Nāgara townspeople into the sacred courtyard for the impending rites.

Characters & Entities

• Nāgara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is to be proclaimed openly and authoritatively so that the concerned community can follow corrective, purifying discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya context; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; it introduces a formal public announcement to the Nāgara people.