Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । तीर्थं तस्य मुनेस्तत्र कस्मिन्काले व्यवस्थितम् । निर्मलं केन निःशेषं वद त्वं सूतनंदन

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | tīrthaṃ tasya munestatra kasminkāle vyavasthitam | nirmalaṃ kena niḥśeṣaṃ vada tvaṃ sūtanaṃdana

Translation

เหล่าฤๅษีกล่าวว่า: ตีรถะของมุนีนั้นได้ตั้งมั่น ณ ที่นั้นในกาลใด? ด้วยเหตุอันใดจึงบริสุทธิ์ผุดผ่องสิ้นเชิง? โอ บุตรแห่งสูตะ จงบอกแก่เราเถิด

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: the sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• तीर्थम्: the sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• मुनेः: of the sage
• मुनेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• कस्मिन्: in which
• कस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• काले: time
• काले: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• व्यवस्थितम्: established/situated
• व्यवस्थितम्: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + अव + स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘तीर्थम्’ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• निर्मलम्: pure
• निर्मलम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘तीर्थम्’ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• केन: by whom/whereby
• केन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• निःशेषम्: completely, without remainder
• निःशेषम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निःशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (क्रियाविशेषणार्थे)

• वद: tell
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Sambodhana/Prayojaka (Addressed agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुषार्थे सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सूतनन्दन: O son of Sūta
• सूतनन्दन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत + नन्दन (प्रातिपदिक; कर्मधारय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Ṛṣayaḥ (the sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta-nandana (the narrator addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest āśrama assembly: seated ṛṣis with kamaṇḍalus and matted hair question the sūta-nandana narrator; behind them a hinted spring/stream and sacred grove, signaling an about-to-be-revealed tīrtha-māhātmya.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣayaḥ
• Viśvāmitra (implied)
• Sūta-nandana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas frame tīrthas through origin narratives, showing that sanctity is rooted in divine/ṛṣi events and dharmic causality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha associated with the sage Viśvāmitra (the kuṇḍa introduced in Adhyāya 42).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the sages request the tīrtha’s origin, establishment time, and the cause of its complete purity.