Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

उत्थानं कुरुते विष्णुः क्षीरोदं प्रति गच्छति ा । सोऽपि सांकृतिशापेन वृकः पंगुत्वमाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

utthānaṃ kurute viṣṇuḥ kṣīrodaṃ prati gacchati ा | so'pi sāṃkṛtiśāpena vṛkaḥ paṃgutvamāpnuyāt

Translation

ثمّ نهضَ فيشنو (Viṣṇu) من رُقادِه المقدّس ومضى نحوَ محيطِ اللّبن (كشيرودا). وأمّا فْرِكا (Vṛka)، فبسببِ لعنةِ سامكْرِتي (Sāṃkṛti) نالَ العَرَج.

Word by Word

• utthānam: rising (from sleep)
• utthānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: utthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• kurute: does/makes
• kurute: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• kṣīrodam: the Milk Ocean
• kṣīrodam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣīroda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• prati: towards
• prati: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Directional/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृश-पूर्वपद/संबन्धबोधक (preposition: towards)

• gacchati: goes
• gacchati: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कार (also/even)

• sāṃkṛti-śāpena: by Sāṃkṛti’s curse
• sāṃkṛti-śāpena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāṃkṛti (प्रातिपदिक; name/lineage) + śāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• vṛkaḥ: the wolf
• vṛkaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• paṃgutvam: lameness
• paṃgutvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃgutva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• āpnuyāt: would obtain
• āpnuyāt: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sūta (narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣīroda (cosmic tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu rises from yoganidrā; the cosmic ocean gleams with milk-white waves; Ananta’s coils recede; simultaneously, a mortal/daitya figure named Vṛka staggers, one leg weakened, as the sage’s curse takes effect.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Kṣīroda (Ocean of Milk)
• Sāṃkṛti
• Vṛka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine rhythms of sleep and awakening (śayana–utthāna) structure dharma in time, while karmic consequences (śāpa) bind beings to their deeds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra legend explaining why the Ekādaśī season there is spiritually significant.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Marks the ‘utthāna’ moment associated with Kārttika-śukla Ekādaśī—traditionally a key observance for ending the four-month vow season.