Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अथान्यापि च तत्रास्ति देशकामप्रदा नृणाम् । अजापालेन भूपेन स्थापिता पापनाशनी

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | athānyāpi ca tatrāsti deśakāmapradā nṛṇām | ajāpālena bhūpena sthāpitā pāpanāśanī

Translation

سوت نے کہا: وہاں ایک اور مقدّس طاقت بھی ہے جو لوگوں کو اس دھرتی کی مطلوبہ برکتیں عطا کرتی ہے؛ اسے راجہ اجاپال نے قائم کیا، اور یہ گناہوں کو مٹانے والی ہے۔

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta (the narrator)
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमसूचक/अनन्तरार्थक (sequencing particle: then/now)

• anyā: another (one)
• anyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction: and)

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

• asti: is/exists
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• deśakāmapradā: granting desired wishes
• deśakāmapradā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + pradā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुषार्थ (giver of desired objects/boons)

• nṛṇām: of men
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (Possessor/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ajāpālena: by Ajāpāla
• ajāpālena: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ajāpāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• bhūpena: by the king
• bhūpena: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; apposition to ajāpālena

• sthāpitā: established
• sthāpitā: Kriya (Predicate participle)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे कर्तृ-तृतीया सह

• pāpanāśanī: sin-destroying
• pāpanāśanī: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (destroyer of sins)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ajāpāleśvarī (sthāpita śakti)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/śaunaka-ādi (implied purāṇic audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates the presence of another sacred power at the site: a sin-destroying shrine established by King Ajāpāla, with pilgrims approaching in reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Ajāpāla (king)
• Ajāpāleśvarī (implied upcoming deity/tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha established in righteousness becomes both wish-fulfilling and sin-destroying, benefiting society across generations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ajāpāleśvarī/Ajāpāla-associated sacred shrine or tīrtha in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite here; it introduces the shrine’s power (kāmapradā) and its pāpa-nāśana (sin-removing) nature.