Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

कार्पटिकौवाच । अस्ति भूमितले ख्यातं नागरं क्षेत्रमुत्तमम् । कुष्ठव्याधिसमाक्रांतो गतोऽहं तत्र भूपते

Transliteration

kārpaṭikauvāca | asti bhūmitale khyātaṃ nāgaraṃ kṣetramuttamam | kuṣṭhavyādhisamākrāṃto gato'haṃ tatra bhūpate

Translation

การ์ปฏิกะกล่าวว่า: “บนพื้นพิภพมีเขตศักดิ์สิทธิ์อันเลื่องชื่อและประเสริฐชื่อว่า ‘นาคระ’ ข้าแต่พระราชา เมื่อข้าถูกโรคเรื้อนครอบงำ ข้าจึงไปยังที่นั้น”

Word by Word

• कार्पटिकः: the mendicant (kārpaṭika)
• कार्पटिकः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्पटिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine nominative singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (3rd person singular, perfect)

• अस्ति: there is
• अस्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (3rd person singular, present)

• भूमितले: on the surface of the earth
• भूमितले: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भूमेः तलम्) (neuter locative singular)

• ख्यातम्: renowned
• ख्यातम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ख्यात (कृदन्त; ख्या-धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (neuter nominative/accusative singular; renowned)

• नागरम्: Nāgara (named Nāgara)
• नागरम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter nom/acc singular; adjective)

• क्षेत्रम्: region, sacred area
• क्षेत्रम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nominative/accusative singular)

• उत्तमम्: excellent, best
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter nom/acc singular; adjective)

• कुष्ठव्याधिसमाक्रान्तः: afflicted with leprosy
• कुष्ठव्याधिसमाक्रान्तः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक) + सम् + आ + क्रान्त (कृदन्त; क्रम्-धातोः क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (कुष्ठ-व्याधिना समाक्रान्तः) (masculine nominative singular; afflicted by leprosy-disease)

• गतः: gone
• गतः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गत (कृदन्त; गम्-धातोः क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle; nominative singular)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (nominative singular pronoun)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (indeclinable; there)

• भूपते: O king
• भूपते: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (masculine vocative singular)

Speaker

Kārpaṭika (ascetic/pilgrim narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kārpaṭika, marked by leprosy, arrives at a famed kṣetra—seen as a sacred landscape with ghats/shrines—conveying both suffering and hope.

Characters & Entities

• Nāgara-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even severe suffering can become a doorway to Dharma when one turns toward tīrtha-yātrā with faith and humility.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The broader sacred region is Nāgara-kṣetra, within which the praised tīrtha is later specified.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage to the sacred kṣetra is implied; the detailed prescription (snāna on Saptamī/Sunday) follows in later verses.