Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

चकार च स्तुतिं पश्चाच्छ्रद्धापूतेन चेतसा । तदग्रे प्रयतो भूत्वा स्वरेण महता नृपः

Transliteration

cakāra ca stutiṃ paścācchraddhāpūtena cetasā | tadagre prayato bhūtvā svareṇa mahatā nṛpaḥ

Translation

ภายหลัง ด้วยจิตที่ชำระด้วยศรัทธา พระราชาได้ยืนอย่างสำรวมต่อหน้าเธอ แล้วเปล่งบทสรรเสริญด้วยเสียงดังชัดเจน

Word by Word

• cakāra: made/uttered
• cakāra: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद, परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; ‘चकार’ = अकरोत् (he did/made)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक-संबन्ध/ conjunction)

• stutim: a hymn/praise
• stutim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stuti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• paścāt: afterwards
• paścāt: Kriya-vishesana (Time/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paścāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — afterwards

• śraddhā-pūtena: purified by faith
• śraddhā-pūtena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śraddhā (प्रातिपदिक) + pūta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √pū ‘to purify’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (श्रद्धया पूतः) — instrumental singular, qualifying ‘चेतसा’

• cetasā: with (his) mind
• cetasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cetas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; मनस्/चित्तम् (by mind)

• tad-agre: in front of that (deity)
• tad-agre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + agre (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग)
• Form: अव्ययीभावः (तद् + अग्रे) — ‘तदग्रे’ = तस्य अग्रे/तत्समीपे (in front of that/before her)

• prayataḥ: composed/attentive
• prayataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prayata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √yam ‘to restrain’ with pra-)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (disciplined/attentive) — qualifying ‘नृपः’

• bhūtvā: having become
• bhūtvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive) — ‘भूत्वा’ = भूय/सन् (having become)

• svareṇa: with voice/tone
• svareṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• mahatā: loud/great
• mahatā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् — qualifying ‘svareṇa’

• nṛpaḥ: the king
• nṛpaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in a māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king stands before the goddess, hands folded, posture attentive, chanting a hymn with a resonant voice; attendants and a quiet shrine space frame the act.

Characters & Entities

• Bhāratī (Sarasvatī)
• Mahīpati (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worship is completed by heartfelt praise—speech offered to the Goddess becomes a sacred act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ongoing Sarasvatī tīrtha narrative in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, emphasizing worship at a sacred river locale.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recitation of stuti (hymn) before the deity as part of pūjā.