Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

मार्कंडेय उवाच । अत्राऽद्य मुनयः प्राप्ता मया ते चाभिवादिताः । क्रमेण विनयात्तात स्मरमाणेन ते वचः

Transliteration

mārkaṃḍeya uvāca | atrā'dya munayaḥ prāptā mayā te cābhivāditāḥ | krameṇa vinayāttāta smaramāṇena te vacaḥ

Translation

มารกัณฑेयกล่าวว่า: วันนี้เหล่ามุนีมาถึง ณ ที่นี้ และข้าพเจ้าได้ถวายบังคมท่านทั้งหลายตามลำดับด้วยความนอบน้อม โอ้บิดา โดยระลึกถึงถ้อยคำของท่าน

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• अद्य: today
• अद्य: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• मुनयः: sages
• मुनयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• प्राप्ताः: arrived
• प्राप्ताः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) + प्राप्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘arrived’ अर्थे

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ते: they/those (sages)
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

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

• अभिवादिताः: were saluted/greeted
• अभिवादिताः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-वाद् (धातु) + अभिवादित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मणि—‘were saluted’

• क्रमेण: in order, sequentially
• क्रमेण: Riti (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (instrumental used adverbially)

• विनयात्: out of humility
• विनयात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विनय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• तात: O dear (son)/O child
• तात: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्मरमाणेन: while remembering / by remembering
• स्मरमाणेन: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + स्मरमाण (कृदन्त, शतृ/शानच्)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक कृदन्त (present participle, आत्मनेपद-शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वचः: words
• वचः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: his father (addressed as 'tāta')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A youthful ascetic Mārkaṇḍeya stands at a forested tīrtha-āśrama, greeting newly arrived sages in orderly sequence, hands folded, head bowed, with a calm riverbank or sacred grove behind.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• sages (munayaḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Honoring sages with humility is a foundational act of dharma and a marker of spiritual maturity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate verse does not name the tīrtha; it occurs within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Respectful salutation (abhivādana) to sages/elders—an ethical and ritual courtesy.