Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अथ तांल्लुब्धकान्दृष्ट्वा दूरतोऽपि भयातुराः । पलायनपराः सर्वे मृगा जग्मुर्द्रुतं ततः

Transliteration

atha tāṃllubdhakāndṛṣṭvā dūrato'pi bhayāturāḥ | palāyanaparāḥ sarve mṛgā jagmurdrutaṃ tataḥ

Translation

ثمّ لما رأت الظباءُ أولئك الصيّادين ولو من بعيد، اضطربت رعبًا، وكلّها عازمةٌ على الفرار، فأسرعت تعدو مبتعدةً عن ذلك الموضع.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-निपात (particle: then/now)

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन

• लुब्धकान्: hunters
• लुब्धकान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लुब्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having seen)

• दूरतः: from afar
• दूरतः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: from afar)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ-निपात (particle: even/also)

• भयातुराः: distressed with fear
• भयातुराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक) + आतुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying मृगाः)

• पलायनपराः: intent on fleeing
• पलायनपराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पलायन (प्रातिपदिक) + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• मृगाः: deer
• मृगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• जग्मुः: went / fled
• जग्मुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• द्रुतम्: quickly
• द्रुतम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Manner modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्रुतम् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb: quickly)

• ततः: from there / thereafter
• ततः: Apadana/Sequence (Source/sequence marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्/ततः—देश/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (from there/thereupon)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mṛgatīrtha (immediate pre-origin action)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Deer spring up and scatter in swift flight, eyes wide, bodies stretched mid-run; hunters loom behind, bows ready; dust and disturbed leaves mark the sudden panic.

Characters & Entities

• Hunters
• Deer

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Fear and harm follow violence; tīrtha narratives often use such tension to reveal divine protection and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This episode is part of the Mṛgatīrtha-māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it continues the origin-story sequence.