Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । किं तत्कारणमादिष्टं येन तत्तादृशं जलम् । तस्मात्स्थानाद्विनिष्क्रांतं सूतपुत्र वदस्व नः

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | kiṃ tatkāraṇamādiṣṭaṃ yena tattādṛśaṃ jalam | tasmātsthānādviniṣkrāṃtaṃ sūtaputra vadasva naḥ

Translation

เหล่าฤๅษีกล่าวว่า ‘เหตุอันใดที่ถูกกำหนดไว้ จึงมีน้ำเช่นนั้นไหลออกจากสถานที่นั้น? โอ บุตรแห่งสูตะ จงบอกแก่เรา’

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: the sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (interrogative)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (qualifying कारणम्)

• कारणम्: cause/reason
• कारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन

• आदिष्टम्: was prescribed/declared
• आदिष्टम्: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + दिश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (enjoined/declared)

• येन: by which/whereby
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया; एकवचन (relative; 'by which/whereby')

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (qualifying जलम्)

• तादृशम्: such (of that kind)
• तादृशम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तादृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (such/like that)

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन

• तस्मात्: from that
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी; एकवचन

• स्थानात्: from the place
• स्थानात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी; एकवचन

• विनिष्क्रान्तम्: having emerged
• विनिष्क्रान्तम्: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + नि + √क्रम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (gone out/emerged)

• सूतपुत्र: O son of the Sūta
• सूतपुत्र: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सूतस्य पुत्रः); पुल्लिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचन

• वदस्व: tell/speak
• वदस्व: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• नः: to us/for us
• नः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी; बहुवचन; एन्क्लिटिक (us/for us)

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gomukha (implied)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of sages seated in a forest-assembly (satra-like), turning toward Sūta with palms joined, asking the cause of the wondrous water’s emergence.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Māhātmya is transmitted through respectful inquiry; understanding a tīrtha’s cause deepens faith and right practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The water-source identified as Gomukha-tīrtha within this chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a doctrinal inquiry seeking the tīrtha’s origin (utpatti).