Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 124

Devanagari script

आनर्त उवाच । गयाकूप्याश्च माहात्म्यं भवता मे प्रकीर्तितम् । बालमंडनजं वापि सांप्रतं वक्तुमर्हसि

Transliteration

ānarta uvāca | gayākūpyāśca māhātmyaṃ bhavatā me prakīrtitam | bālamaṃḍanajaṃ vāpi sāṃprataṃ vaktumarhasi

Translation

อานรตกล่าวว่า “ท่านได้สรรเสริญมหาตมยะของคยากูปีแก่ข้าพเจ้าแล้ว บัดนี้ขอท่านโปรดกล่าวถึงผลบุญแห่งทีรถะที่เกี่ยวกับพิธีบาลมันฑนะ (การโกนผมเด็ก) ด้วยเถิด”

Word by Word

• आनर्तः: Ānarta
• आनर्तः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• गयाकूप्याः: of Gayākūpī
• गयाकूप्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया + कूपी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष

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

• माहात्म्यम्: glory, sacred greatness
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (singular)

• भवता: by you
• भवता: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (singular); आदरार्थे (honorific ‘by you’)

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (Dative/4th), एकवचन (singular)

• प्रकीर्तितम्: has been recounted
• प्रकीर्तितम्: Kriyā (Participial predicate/क्रियाविशेष)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कीर्त् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘praised/related’

• बालमण्डनजम्: (the rite/benefit) arising from the child-tonsure (ceremony)
• बालमण्डनजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल + मण्डन + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘arising from the child’s tonsure/ceremony’)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पबोधक अव्यय (disjunctive particle: or)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ (also/even)

• साम्प्रतम्: now, at present
• साम्प्रतम्: Adhikarana (Adverbial/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साम्प्रतम् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• वक्तुम्: to tell
• वक्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), अव्ययभाव; ‘to speak’

• अर्हसि: you ought, you are fit
• अर्हसि: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Ānarta (the king/questioner)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gayākūpī

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viśvāmitra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Ānarta respectfully questions the sage about the merit of a child’s tonsure at the tīrtha; a small child with a topknot is hinted, with ritual items (water pot, kusa grass) nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Ānarta
• Viśvāmitra
• Gayākūpī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is lived through saṃskāras; the king seeks to align life-cycle rites with tīrtha merit and sacred tradition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayākūpī remains the immediate sacred focus, now linked to another topic: bāla-maṇḍana-related merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse references bāla-maṇḍana (child’s shaving/tonsure), implying an associated saṃskāra and its tīrtha-related significance.