Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

अथ तद्वचनाद्राजा धृतराष्ट्रोंऽबिकासुतः । शतसंख्यैः सुतैः सार्धं कौतूहलसमन्वितः

Transliteration

atha tadvacanādrājā dhṛtarāṣṭroṃ'bikāsutaḥ | śatasaṃkhyaiḥ sutaiḥ sārdhaṃ kautūhalasamanvitaḥ

Translation

ครั้นได้ฟังถ้อยคำนั้นแล้ว พระราชาธฤตราษฏระ—โอรสแห่งอัมพิกา—ทรงเปี่ยมด้วยความใคร่รู้ เสด็จออกไปพร้อมโอรสทั้งร้อย

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्ययम् (then/thereupon)

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचनम्; ‘वचनात्’ इत्यस्य सम्बन्धः

• वचनात्: from the statement/at the word
• वचनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचनम्; अपादानार्थः (from/owing to)

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

• धृतराष्ट्रः: Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• धृतराष्ट्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृतराष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; ‘राजा’ इत्यस्य विशेषण/अपपद-सम्बन्धः

• अम्बिकासुतः: son of Ambikā
• अम्बिकासुतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बिका-सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अम्बिकायाः सुतः)

• शतसंख्यैः: numbering a hundred
• शतसंख्यैः: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत-संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचनम्; ‘सुतैः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; शतस्य संख्या = शतसंख्या

• सुतैः: with (his) sons
• सुतैः: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचनम्

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: सहार्थक-अव्ययम् (with/together)

• कौतूहलसमन्वितः: endowed with curiosity
• कौतूहलसमन्वितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कौतूहल-समन्वित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; ‘राजा’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; समन्वित (सम्+अन्वि धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Tīrthamāhātmya; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal departure scene: Dhṛtarāṣṭra with attendants and a large group of sons prepares to journey toward a sacred region, faces turned with eager curiosity; banners and chariots contrast with the austere destination ahead.

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Ambikā
• Kauravas (hundred sons)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even kings should heed dharmic counsel and approach sacred places with sincere eagerness, not pride.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A श्रेष्ठ/उत्तम kṣetra introduced in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, Adhyāya 72; the exact tīrtha-name is not stated in this verse alone.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; this verse sets the narrative of departure for a pilgrimage that leads to rites in later verses.