Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । पुरातनामत्र कथां गुप्तक्षेत्रस्य कारणे । शृणु पांडव शापेन गुप्तमासीदिदं यथा

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | purātanāmatra kathāṃ guptakṣetrasya kāraṇe | śṛṇu pāṃḍava śāpena guptamāsīdidaṃ yathā

Translation

Nārada đáp: Ở đây có một chuyện xưa nói về nguyên do của thánh địa ẩn mật này. Hãy lắng nghe, hỡi Pāṇḍava—nó đã bị che giấu bởi một lời nguyền như thế nào.

Word by Word

• nāradaḥ: Nārada
• nāradaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• purātanām: ancient
• purātanām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: purātana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण (to kathām)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb of place)

• kathām: story
• kathām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• guptakṣetrasya: of the hidden sacred place
• guptakṣetrasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gupta-kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक; गुप्त + क्षेत्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन

• kāraṇe: regarding the cause
• kāraṇe: Adhikarana (Topic/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• pāṃḍava: O Pāṇḍava
• pāṃḍava: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṃḍava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; संबोधन विभक्ति; एकवचन

• śāpena: by a curse
• śāpena: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन

• guptam: hidden
• guptam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gupta (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from √gup)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) used predicatively

• āsīt: was
• āsīt: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• idam: this
• idam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• yathā: how, in what way
• yathā: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (adverb/conjunction: 'as/how')

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Guptakṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Arjuna (Pāṇḍava)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada begins an ancient tale: he gestures as if opening a hidden chronicle; behind him, a symbolic shadow-veil over a luminous kṣetra indicates concealment by curse.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Pāṇḍava (Arjuna)
• Guptakṣetra
• Śāpa (curse)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic sacred geography often includes moral causality: a place’s concealment or revelation can hinge on dharma, adharma, and the force of a curse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Guptakṣetra whose greatness is about to be explained through an ancient narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it is an invitation to hear the explanatory kathā (narrative).