Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

कदाचिदथ तौ श्रान्तौ भ्रममाणावितस्ततः । क्षेत्रेऽत्रैव समायातौ वासुदेवदिदृक्षया

Transliteration

kadācidatha tau śrāntau bhramamāṇāvitastataḥ | kṣetre'traiva samāyātau vāsudevadidṛkṣayā

Translation

ต่อมาในกาลหนึ่ง ทั้งสองผู้เหนื่อยล้าจากการร่อนเร่ไปมา ได้มาถึงกษेत्रอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์นี้เอง ด้วยความปรารถนาจะได้เฝ้าทอดพระเนตรวาสุเทวะ

Word by Word

• कदाचित्: once, at some time
• कदाचित्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal modifier/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time: “once/sometime”)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/सम्बन्धसूचक (conjunctive particle: “then/now”)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन

• श्रान्तौ: weary
• श्रान्तौ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रान्त (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-भाव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘तौ’)

• भ्रममाणौ: wandering
• भ्रममाणौ: Karta (Subject-participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु) → भ्रममाण (कृदन्त, शानच्)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्/Present middle participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, द्विवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः (acting as subject-participle)

• इतस्: from here, this way
• इतस्: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Spatial modifier/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb: “from here/this side”)

• ततः: from there, thence
• ततः: Deśa/Krama-adhikaraṇa (Spatial/sequence modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/क्रमवाचक (adverb: “from there/then”)

• क्षेत्रे: in the sacred place/field
• क्षेत्रे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Spatial modifier/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb: “here”)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Nipāta (Emphasis particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (particle of emphasis: “indeed/just”)

• समायातौ: arrived
• समायातौ: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + या (धातु) → समायात (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/Past passive participle used predicatively); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, द्विवचन; ‘(तौ) समायातौ’ = “the two arrived”

• वासुदेव-दिदृक्षया: with the desire to see Vāsudeva
• वासुदेव-दिदृक्षया: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव (प्रातिपदिक) + दिदृक्षा (प्रातिपदिक; desiderative noun from √दृश्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; हेतौ (instrumental of cause: “due to/with the desire to see”)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two travelers, exhausted, descend into a radiant sacred precinct—trees, a riverbank or temple approach—faces lifted with yearning to see Vāsudeva; the atmosphere shifts from dusty travel to luminous sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva
• Kṣetra (sacred field)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage culminates in darśana—seeking God with longing transforms mere travel into sacred attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A particular ‘kṣetra’ is indicated as ‘this very place’; its fuller identification is developed in the surrounding verses (including references to Hāṭakeśvara).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the implied practice is darśana-seeking devotion to Vāsudeva.