Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

अहं मर्त्ये परिभ्रांतश्चिरात्तेन समागतः । भूयो यास्यामि तत्रैव कण्डूतिर्महतीस्थिता

Transliteration

ahaṃ martye paribhrāṃtaścirāttena samāgataḥ | bhūyo yāsyāmi tatraiva kaṇḍūtirmahatīsthitā

Translation

میں مدتِ دراز سے عالمِ انسان میں بھٹکتا رہا اور اب اس سے ملا ہوں۔ پھر بھی میں دوبارہ وہیں لوٹ جاؤں گا، کیونکہ ایک بڑی بے قراری مجھ پر چھا گئی ہے۔

Word by Word

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• martye: in the mortal world
• martye: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• paribhrāntaḥ: having wandered
• paribhrāntaḥ: Karta (Agent as participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari + bhram (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: परि-उपसर्गपूर्वक भ्रंम/भ्रम्-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि-भाव (active sense: 'having wandered')

• cirāt: after a long time
• cirāt: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cirāt (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: 'after a long time')

• tena: by him / with that
• tena: Sahakārī/Karaṇa (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• samāgataḥ: arrived / come together
• samāgataḥ: Kriyā (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + ā + gam (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: सम्+आ-उपसर्गपूर्वक गम्-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि-भाव ('having come/arrived')

• bhūyaḥ: again
• bhūyaḥ: Prakāra (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरर्थक-अव्यय (adverb: 'again/further')

• yāsyāmi: I will go
• yāsyāmi: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, उत्तम-पुरुष (1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Deśa (Place/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: 'there')

• eva: indeed / just
• eva: Nipāta (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle of emphasis: 'indeed/just')

• kaṇḍūtiḥ: itching / urge to scratch
• kaṇḍūtiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṇḍūti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• mahatī: great
• mahatī: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• sthitā: remains / is situated
• sthitā: Kriyā (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: स्था-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि-भाव ('standing/remaining')

Speaker

Nārada (addressing Pitāmaha/Brahmā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame, typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone ascetic figure (Nārada-like) walking across varied landscapes—villages, courts, battlefields—then turning back again as a swirling ‘itch’ motif encircles the chest; distant glimpse of a serene lake-tīrtha as the alternative path.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Kali
• Martya-loka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sage’s movement reflects urgency: in turbulent times, guidance and dharmic intervention must recur again and again.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this line; it serves as narrative continuation toward Puṣkara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes the speaker’s compelled return amid Kali-yuga conditions.