Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । तिस्रःकोट्योर्धकोटी च तीर्थानामिह भूतले । श्रूयते सूत कार्त्स्न्येन कीर्त्यमाना मुनीश्वरैः

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | tisraḥkoṭyordhakoṭī ca tīrthānāmiha bhūtale | śrūyate sūta kārtsnyena kīrtyamānā munīśvaraiḥ

Translation

诸仙人说道：在此大地之上，听闻有三俱胝又半俱胝的诸圣地（tīrtha），为诸大牟尼之主所尽情称颂。噢，苏多（Sūta），（请为我们宣说）。

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: the sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• तिस्रः: three
• तिस्रः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); ‘कोट्यः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• कोट्यः: crores
• कोट्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अर्धकोटी: half a crore
• अर्धकोटी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कोट्याः अर्धम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तीर्थानाम्: of sacred places (tīrthas)
• तीर्थानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb: here)

• भूतले: on the earth
• भूतले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूतल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• श्रूयते: is heard/is said
• श्रूयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• सूत: O Sūta
• सूत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कार्त्स्न्येन: completely/in entirety
• कार्त्स्न्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्त्स्न्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• कीर्त्यमाना: being recounted
• कीर्त्यमाना: Kriya (Participial qualifier/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कीर्त्यमान (कृदन्त; √कीर्त्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि कृदन्त (present passive participle); ‘(संख्या) श्रूयते’ इत्यस्य सहचर-विशेषणम्

• मुनीश्वरैः: by the lordly sages
• मुनीश्वरैः: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मुनीनां ईश्वराः)

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarva-tīrtha-saṅkhyā (three and a half crores)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Forest assembly of ṛṣis addressing Sūta: a didactic moment initiating a tīrtha-catalog; visual motif of a cosmic map or river-network behind them.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Sūta
• Tīrthas
• Munīśvaras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa frames the world as sacred geography filled with innumerable tīrthas, inviting reverence and pilgrimage-minded living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not one site; the verse broadly glorifies the vast multitude of tīrthas on earth as praised by great sages.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it introduces an inquiry that leads to guidance on how to gain tīrtha benefits.