Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

अथ तस्य समालोक्य तादृशं तद्विचेष्टितम् । पृष्टः स कौतुकाविष्टैः पितृमातृसुतादिभिः

Transliteration

atha tasya samālokya tādṛśaṃ tadviceṣṭitam | pṛṣṭaḥ sa kautukāviṣṭaiḥ pitṛmātṛsutādibhiḥ

Translation

ครั้นเห็นการประพฤติของเขาเช่นนั้น บิดา มารดา บุตร และผู้อื่นผู้เต็มไปด้วยความใคร่รู้ จึงซักถามเขา

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक (then)

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

• समालोक्य: having observed
• समालोक्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आलोक् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive); पूर्वकालिक (having observed/seen)

• तादृशम्: such, of that kind
• तादृशम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तादृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying तद्विचेष्टितम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण (in compound sense with विचेष्टितम्)

• विचेष्टितम्: conduct/behavior (what was done)
• विचेष्टितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि + चेष्ट् (धातु) → विचेष्टित (कृत-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle used substantively)

• पृष्टः: was asked
• पृष्टः: Kriya (Main predicate in passive/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु) → पृष्ट (कृत-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; भूतकालिक कर्मणि/भावे; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन (was asked)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Grammatical subject of passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• कौतुकाविष्टैः: by those filled with curiosity
• कौतुकाविष्टैः: Karana (Instrument/Agent-group in passive/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कौतुकाविष्ट (प्रातिपदिक; कौतुक + आविष्ट)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying पितृमातृसुतादिभिः)

• पितृमातृसुतादिभिः: by father, mother, son, and others
• पितृमातृसुतादिभिः: Karana (Agent-group in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ + मातृ + सुत + आदि (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन; 'आदि' समाहार/समुच्चयार्थ (and others)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Tīrthamāhātmya; likely Skanda)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A household group—father, mother, sons, relatives—gathers around the protagonist after witnessing his rites; their faces show curiosity and mild astonishment; the setting hints at a sacred locale.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharmic acts often invite inquiry; Purāṇic narratives use such questioning to reveal deeper reasons behind righteous conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it functions as narrative transition within the broader Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new prescription—this verse introduces dialogue about the already-performed pretakārya.