Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । कुतः परशुरामेण भंक्त्वा निजकुठारकम् । निर्मिता लोहयष्टिः सा तत्रोत्सृष्टा च सा कुतः

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | kutaḥ paraśurāmeṇa bhaṃktvā nijakuṭhārakam | nirmitā lohayaṣṭiḥ sā tatrotsṛṣṭā ca sā kutaḥ

Translation

Nagsalita ang mga ṛṣi: Sa anong dahilan nilikha ni Paraśurāma, matapos mabali ang sarili niyang palakol, ang tungkod na bakal na iyon? At bakit ito iniwan at itinapon doon?

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: the sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• कुतः: from where? how?
• कुतः: Hetu-prashna (Cause-query/हेतु-प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय/प्रश्न)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative adverb)

• परशुरामेण: by Paraśurāma
• परशुरामेण: Karana/Agent-Instrument (Instrument/कर्ता-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परशुराम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• भङ्क्त्वा: having broken
• भङ्क्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भञ्ज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव

• निजकुठारकम्: his own small axe
• निजकुठारकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज + कुठारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय

• निर्मिता: was made/constructed
• निर्मिता: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• लोहयष्टिः: the iron staff
• लोहयष्टिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोह + यष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सा: that (she/it)
• सा: Anvaya (Coreference/अन्वय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• उत्सृष्टा: was cast/left
• उत्सृष्टा: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत् + सृज् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha-bodhaka (Connector/सम्बन्धसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• सा: that (she/it)
• सा: Anvaya (Coreference/अन्वय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कुतः: from where?
• कुतः: Hetu-prashna (Cause-query/हेतु-प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय/प्रश्न)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative adverb)

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lohayaṣṭi (origin inquiry)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of sages respectfully question Sūta about Paraśurāma’s broken axe and the forging/abandoning of the iron staff at the site.

Characters & Entities

• Paraśurāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Māhātmya narratives often explain how a tīrtha receives sanctity through a saintly act or renunciation; the sages seek the ethical cause behind the act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha “there” is the one being described in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, Tīrthamāhātmya, Adhyāya 94; its explicit name is supplied by the subsequent narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it introduces the legend behind the site’s sanctity.