Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एवं स्तुता च सा देवी नलेन पृथिवीभुजा । प्रोवाच दर्शनं गत्वा तं नृपं भक्तवत्सला

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | evaṃ stutā ca sā devī nalena pṛthivībhujā | provāca darśanaṃ gatvā taṃ nṛpaṃ bhaktavatsalā

Translation

สูตะกล่าวว่า: เมื่อพระราชานล ผู้ครองแผ่นดิน สรรเสริญเช่นนั้นแล้ว เทวีผู้ทรงเมตตาต่อภักตะ ได้ประทานทิพยทัศน์ แล้วเสด็จมาปรากฏต่อพระพักตร์กษัตริย์นั้น และตรัสแก่พระองค์

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (manner adverb)

• स्तुता: praised
• स्तुता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्तु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मणि (praised)

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

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• नलेन: by Nala
• नलेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• पृथिवीभुजा: by the ruler of the earth (king)
• पृथिवीभुजा: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी + भुज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः) ‘पृथिवीं भुङ्क्ते/पालयति’ इति; पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; नलेन इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• प्रोवाच: spoke, said
• प्रोवाच: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• दर्शनम्: audience, sight
• दर्शनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘दर्शनं गत्वा’ इति कर्मप्रवचनीय-प्रयोगे (to have an audience/for seeing)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: गम् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया (having gone)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• नृपम्: king
• नृपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तम् इत्यस्य विशेष्यः

• भक्तवत्सला: affectionate to devotees
• भक्तवत्सला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्त + वत्सल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः) ‘भक्तेषु वत्सला’ इति; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; देवी इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates as the Goddess, pleased by Nala’s praise, appears before the king; the moment of ‘darśana’ is highlighted—radiance, awe, and the king’s reverent posture.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Nala
• Devī (Goddess)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere praise (stuti) and devotion draw divine grace, culminating in darśana and compassionate response.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa, in the context of Nala’s tīrtha (Carmamuṇḍā) establishment.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the emphasis is on stotra (hymn) leading to divine darśana.