Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । तव वाक्येन देवेश भेदयामि पुरोत्तमम् । अभेद्यं बहुधोपायैर्यत्तु देवैः सवासवैः

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | tava vākyena deveśa bhedayāmi purottamam | abhedyaṃ bahudhopāyairyattu devaiḥ savāsavaiḥ

Translation

قال نارادا (Nārada): «بأمرك يا ربَّ الديفا (Devas)، سأُحدِثُ الشقاقَ في تلك المدينة السامية؛ مع أنها عُدَّت غير قابلة للكسر حتى عند الآلهة مع إندرا (Indra)، رغم كثرة الحيل والوسائل».

Word by Word

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• वाक्येन: by (your) word/command
• वाक्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• देवेश: O lord of the gods
• देवेश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (devānām īśaḥ)

• भेदयामि: I will cause to split / I will break
• भेदयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भिद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative) परस्मैपदम्

• पुरोत्तमम्: the best city (Tripura)
• पुरोत्तमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (purāṇām uttamam / pura-uttamam)

• अभेद्यम्: unbreakable
• अभेद्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + भेद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; नञ्-समासपूर्वक विशेषण (unbreakable)

• बहुधोपायैः: by many means
• बहुधोपायैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहुधा (अव्यय) + उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; बहुधा-पूर्वपदसमास/अव्ययपूर्वपद (by many kinds of means)

• यत्: which (city)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रयोग (which/that)

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषण-निपात (but/indeed)

• देवैः: by the gods
• देवैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• सवासवैः: together with the Vasus/Indra’s hosts
• सवासवैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स + वासव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; सहार्थक-तत्पुरुषः (vasavaiḥ saha)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tripura (mythic) within Revā-khaṇḍa narrative

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devādhipa (Lord of Devas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada speaks with folded hands, then turns outward with determined stride; the unbreakable city is envisioned beyond, foreshadowing division as the chosen method.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Deveśa
• Indra (Vāsava)
• Tripura

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine will operating through a sage’s resolve can accomplish what collective power and multiple tactics cannot.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is directly praised; the verse belongs to the Tripura-episode within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a pledge of action in response to a divine command.