Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

आनर्ताधिपतिर्योऽत्र कश्चिद्राज्येऽभिषिच्यते । स पूर्वं गच्छति ग्रामं नागराणां प्रभक्तितः

Transliteration

ānartādhipatiryo'tra kaścidrājye'bhiṣicyate | sa pūrvaṃ gacchati grāmaṃ nāgarāṇāṃ prabhaktitaḥ

Translation

یہاں آنرت کا جو بھی حاکم تخت نشین (ابھشیکت) کیا جاتا ہے، وہ پہلے ناگروں کے گاؤں کی طرف جاتا ہے، واجب عقیدت اور احترام کے باعث۔

Word by Word

• ānartādhipatiḥ: the ruler of Ānarta
• ānartādhipatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ānarta-adhipati (प्रातिपदिक; आनर्त + अधिपति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता/विषय

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): अत्र (here)

• kaścit: someone/any
• kaścit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaścid (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक (indefinite pronoun)

• rājye: in the kingdom
• rājye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• abhiṣicyate: is consecrated/installed
• abhiṣicyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-ṣic (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): ‘is anointed/installed’

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; निर्देश (demonstrative)

• pūrvam: first
• pūrvam: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव/क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्यय: पूर्वम् (first/previously)

• gacchati: goes
• gacchati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• grāmam: to the village
• grāmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• nāgarāṇām: of the Nāgaras (people of Nāgara)
• nāgarāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• prabhaktitaḥ: by allotment/according to assignment
• prabhaktitaḥ: Hetu (Cause/ground/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prabhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिलन्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb): प्रभक्तितः (according to distribution/assignment; by allotment)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgara-grāma (Nāgara settlement) in Ānarta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A coronation aftermath: the newly anointed Ānarta king, with a small retinue, approaches a Nāgara village; brāhmaṇas receive him with Vedic blessings, water-pot, and auspicious items; the king bows respectfully.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Ānarta (region)
• Nāgara (community/people)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kingship is portrayed as socially and ritually embedded; honoring established righteous communities is part of legitimate rule.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya context continues, now adding regional-cultural detail connected with Ānarta and Nāgaras.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A customary protocol: after consecration (abhiṣeka), the ruler should first visit and honor the Nāgaras’ village.