Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

निजैस्तैः सेवकैः सार्धं प्रस्थितः स्वपुरीं प्रति । माहिष्मतीं समुद्दिश्य दृष्ट्वा मार्गे शनैःशनैः

Transliteration

nijaistaiḥ sevakaiḥ sārdhaṃ prasthitaḥ svapurīṃ prati | māhiṣmatīṃ samuddiśya dṛṣṭvā mārge śanaiḥśanaiḥ

Translation

اپنے خادموں کے ساتھ وہ اپنی نگری کی طرف روانہ ہوا؛ اور ماہِشمتی کو مقصد بنا کر راستے میں آہستہ آہستہ آگے بڑھتا گیا۔

Word by Word

• निजैः: his own
• निजैः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of सेवकैः)

• तैः: those
• तैः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम; विशेषण (of सेवकैः)

• सेवकैः: with attendants
• सेवकैः: Sahakari (Association/सहकारी; सह-तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेवक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sahakari (Association/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक (together with)

• प्रस्थितः: set out/departed
• प्रस्थितः: Kriya (Predicate via participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-स्था (धातु) → प्रस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग (set out)

• स्वपुरीम्: to his own city
• स्वपुरीम्: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समास: स्व (own) + पुरी (city)

• प्रति: towards
• प्रति: Gati (Direction/गति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक/प्रत्यर्थक (towards)

• माहिष्मतीम्: Māhiṣmatī (city)
• माहिष्मतीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहिष्मती (प्रातिपदिक; स्थाननाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (destination)

• समुद्दिश्य: aiming at/heading for
• समुद्दिश्य: Kriya-viseshana (Purpose/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-उद्-दिश् (धातु) → समुद्दिश्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); उद्देश्य/लक्ष्यनिर्देश (having aimed at/heading for)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया (having seen)

• मार्गे: on the road
• मार्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• शनैः: slowly
• शनैः: Kriya-viseshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शनैः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (slowly)

• शनैः: slowly
• शनैः: Kriya-viseshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शनैः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति (very slowly/step by step)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller; likely Sūta-style narration within Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Māhiṣmatī (as a kṣetra/waypoint)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A travel scene: the king and attendants on a road through varied terrain, moving slowly; distant suggestion of a riverine city (Māhiṣmatī) ahead; dust subdued; posture composed.

Characters & Entities

• Māhiṣmatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-travel is portrayed as deliberate and disciplined, undertaken with order and support.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Māhiṣmatī is named as a destination/waypoint in the sacred-geography narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it describes the dharmic journey toward a sacredly framed destination.