Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

कुतस्त्वमनुसंप्राप्तो वनेऽस्मिञ्जनवर्जिते । एकाकी सुकुमारांगः पदातिः श्रमविह्वलः

Transliteration

kutastvamanusaṃprāpto vane'smiñjanavarjite | ekākī sukumārāṃgaḥ padātiḥ śramavihvalaḥ

Translation

Ngươi từ đâu đến khu rừng này, nơi vắng bóng người? Một mình, thân thể mảnh mai, đi bộ, trông như bị mệt nhọc khuất phục.

Word by Word

• kutaḥ: from where? how?
• kutaḥ: Sambandha (Question/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kutaḥ (कुतः अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative adverb)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• anusaṃprāptaḥ: has come; has arrived
• anusaṃprāptaḥ: Kriya (Predicate adjective/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anu-sam-prāp (अनु+सम्+प्राप् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• vane: in the forest
• vane: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana (वन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (singular)

• asmin: in this
• asmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (इदम् सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक (masc/neut), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (singular)

• jana-varjite: devoid of people
• jana-varjite: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jana (जन) + varjita (वर्जित)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (PPP) used adjectivally; नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter) सप्तमी (7th/Locative) एकवचन (singular), ‘vane’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘जनैः वर्जितम्’ = devoid of people)

• ekākī: alone
• ekākī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekākin (एकाकिन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• sukumāra-aṅgaḥ: tender-limbed
• sukumāra-aṅgaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sukumāra (सुकुमार) + aṅga (अङ्ग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (singular); समासः—कर्मधारय (‘सुकुमारम् अङ्गम् यस्य’/‘सुकुमार-अङ्गः’ = having tender limbs)

• padātiḥ: a foot-soldier; one on foot
• padātiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padāti (पदाति प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• śrama-vihvalaḥ: overcome by fatigue
• śrama-vihvalaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śrama (श्रम) + vihvala (विह्वल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (singular); समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘श्रमेन विह्वलः’ = distressed by fatigue)

Speaker

Tāpasas (forest ascetics)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ascetic or forest-dweller addresses a lone, weary, delicate-limbed traveler/king on a deserted woodland track; the question is compassionate yet probing.

Characters & Entities

• tāpasas
• rājā (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse frames the forest as a space of tapas (austerity) and detachment, where worldly travel and royal identity are secondary to spiritual purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate verse sets the narrative scene in a peopleless forest within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s tīrtha-context; the specific tīrtha is developed in the surrounding passage of the Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is a narrative inquiry that prepares for later tīrtha-related instructions.