Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नेव काले नु आनर्ताधिपतिः स्वयम् । आगतस्तिष्ठते यत्र जलशायी हरिः स्वयम्

Transliteration

etasminneva kāle nu ānartādhipatiḥ svayam | āgatastiṣṭhate yatra jalaśāyī hariḥ svayam

Translation

وفي ذلك الوقت بعينه قدم حاكمُ آنرتا بنفسه وأقام في الموضع الذي يقيم فيه هري—الرب «جَلَشايِي» المتكئ على المياه.

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; ‘in this’

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), अवधारणार्थक (emphatic)

• काले: time
• काले: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• नु: indeed/now (particle)
• नु: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), प्रश्न/निश्चयार्थक

• आनर्ताधिपतिः: the ruler of Ānarta
• आनर्ताधिपतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनर्त + अधिपति (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आनर्तस्य अधिपतिः = lord of Ānarta)

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Karta (Emphatic to subject/कर्ता-बल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), आत्मनः-प्रयोग (reflexive emphatic)

• आगतः: having come
• आगतः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘come’, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तिष्ठते: stays/remains
• तिष्ठते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb)

• जलशायी: the one who lies on the waters
• जलशायी: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जल + शायी (शे/शीङ् धातु-निष्पन्न) (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (जले शायी = lying on/in water)

• हरिः: Hari (Vishnu)
• हरिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विष्णु-नाम

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Karta (Emphatic to subject/कर्ता-बल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरुक्त-आत्मनः-बलार्थक

Speaker

Sūta (narratorial voice, as typical in Māhātmya sections)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jalaśāyī Hari-kṣetra (as named by epithet)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal procession arrives at a waterside shrine where Viṣṇu is envisioned reclining upon cosmic waters; banners, conches, and attendants pause as the king dismounts in reverence before the sanctum near the water.

Characters & Entities

• Ānarta
• Jalaśāyī Hari
• Hari (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A ruler gains merit by personally approaching and dwelling at a holy place where the deity is believed to be manifest.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha/kṣetra associated with Jalaśāyī Hari (Viṣṇu reclining on the waters), presented as a sacred abode in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly in this verse; it sets the scene for later vows and śānti rites.