Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कंडेय उवाच । क्षेत्राणामिह सर्वेषां तीर्थैः सर्वैरलंकृतम् । चमत्कारपुरं क्षेत्रं सांप्रतं प्रतिभाति नः

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṃḍeya uvāca | kṣetrāṇāmiha sarveṣāṃ tīrthaiḥ sarvairalaṃkṛtam | camatkārapuraṃ kṣetraṃ sāṃprataṃ pratibhāti naḥ

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya thưa rằng: Trong mọi thánh địa nơi đây, được trang nghiêm bởi đủ mọi tīrtha, thánh địa mang danh Camatkārapura hiện nay rạng ngời trước mắt ta như bậc tối thượng.

Word by Word

• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrī-mārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; उपाधि-पूर्वक नाम (honorific epithet)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kṣetrāṇām: of the sacred fields
• kṣetrāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• iha: here
• iha: Desha/Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• sarveṣām: of all
• sarveṣām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (kṣetrāṇām इत्यस्य विशेषण), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• tīrthaiḥ: with sacred fords
• tīrthaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण/साधनार्थ (by/with)

• sarvaiḥ: with all
• sarvaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (tīrthaiḥ इत्यस्य विशेषण), तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• alaṃkṛtam: adorned; embellished
• alaṃkṛtam: Kriya-visheshana/Predicate adjective (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: alaṃ-√kṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेष्यं ‘camatkārapuraṃ kṣetram’

• camatkāra-puram: the city called Camatkāra
• camatkāra-puram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: camatkāra (प्रातिपदिक) + pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (camatkārasya puram)

• kṣetram: the sacred region
• kṣetram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; apposition to camatkārapuram

• sāṃpratam: now; at present
• sāṃpratam: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāṃprata (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time: ‘now/at present’)

• pratibhāti: appears; shines forth
• pratibhāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-√bhā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• naḥ: to us; for us
• naḥ: Sampradana/Anubhava (Experiencer/सम्प्रदान-प्राय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी) बहुवचन (enclitic); ‘to us/for us’ sense often dative-like in usage

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Camatkārapura

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpaśreṣṭha (king; unnamed here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya speaks authoritatively, pointing as if indicating a radiant sacred region; the kṣetra is imagined as a mandala-like landscape studded with many water-bodies and shrines.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Camatkārapura
• Tīrthas
• Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Some kṣetras are praised as ‘confluences of merit,’ where many tīrtha-powers are gathered, making pilgrimage especially potent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Camatkārapura-kṣetra, described as adorned by all tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated; the verse establishes the site’s supremacy as a basis for pilgrimage, bathing, and worship.