Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

स्वागतं तव विप्रेंद्र कुतस्त्वमिह चागतः । आदेशो दीयतां मह्यं किं करोमि यथोचितम्

Transliteration

svāgataṃ tava vipreṃdra kutastvamiha cāgataḥ | ādeśo dīyatāṃ mahyaṃ kiṃ karomi yathocitam

Translation

“ขอต้อนรับท่าน โอ้ผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่พราหมณ์ ท่านมาจากแห่งใดจึงมาถึงที่นี้? โปรดประทานบัญชาแก่ข้าพเจ้า—ข้าพเจ้าควรกระทำสิ่งใดจึงจะสมควร?”

Word by Word

• स्वागतम्: welcome
• स्वागतम्: Sambodhana-prayoga (Greeting/सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-आगत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nominative/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः उपपद-तत्पुरुष (सु + आगत)

• तव: to you / your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• विप्र-इन्द्र: O best of brāhmaṇas
• विप्र-इन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः तत्पुरुष (विप्राणाम् इन्द्रः)

• कुतः: from where
• कुतः: Kriya-viseshana (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative adverb: 'from where/why')

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (here)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• आगतः: have come
• आगतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• आदेशः: instruction/command
• आदेशः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• दीयताम्: let (it) be given
• दीयताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: 'let it be given')

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

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); प्रश्नार्थक

• करोमि: do I do / shall I do
• करोमि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• यथा-उचितम्: appropriately
• यथा-उचितम्: Kriya-viseshana (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + उचित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (adverbial: 'as is proper')

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa's father (host), addressing Vatsa

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unnamed audience (ṛṣis/śrotṛ-gaṇa implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The father stands with folded hands, speaking to the seated sage: welcoming him, asking his provenance, and requesting instructions for proper service.

Characters & Entities

• Vatsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True hospitality includes humility—asking the guest what is proper to be done, and placing oneself in service of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it supports the tīrtha-māhātmya narrative by modeling dharmic conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not a specific ritual, but the dharmic protocol of welcoming and requesting guidance (ādeśa) from a revered guest.