Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

एषोऽरुणकरस्पर्शात्स्वाभां त्यजति चंद्रमाः । निशाक्षये निरुत्साहो यथाहं विधिना कृतः

Transliteration

eṣo'ruṇakarasparśātsvābhāṃ tyajati caṃdramāḥ | niśākṣaye nirutsāho yathāhaṃ vidhinā kṛtaḥ

Translation

بمَسِّ أشعةِ الفجر يتركُ القمرُ ضياءَهُ الخاص؛ وكذلك أنا، عند انقضاء الليل، أُصبحُ واهنَ الهمة—هكذا صنعني القضاءُ والقدر.

Word by Word

• eṣaḥ: this (one)
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• aruṇa-kara-sparśāt: from the touch of the reddish rays (of dawn/sun)
• aruṇa-kara-sparśāt: Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aruṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + kara (प्रातिपदिक) + sparśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (aruṇasya karaḥ → aruṇakaraḥ; aruṇakarasya sparśaḥ → aruṇakarasparśaḥ)

• svābhām: its own lustre
• svābhām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svābhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• tyajati: abandons
• tyajati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• caṃdramāḥ: the moon
• caṃdramāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃdramās (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• niśā-kṣaye: at the end of night
• niśā-kṣaye: Adhikarana (Locus/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niśā (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (niśāyāḥ kṣayaḥ)

• nirutsāhaḥ: spiritless, without enthusiasm
• nirutsāhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirutsāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (eṣaḥ/ahaṃ इत्यस्य)

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/तुलना-निर्देशक (comparative particle)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग/सामान्य, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• vidhinā: by fate; by ordinance
• vidhinā: Karana (Instrument/Agentive means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• kṛtaḥ: made, rendered
• kṛtaḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृत (क्त) कृदन्त; भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत (past passive participle); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थे ‘made/turned’

Speaker

Narrator (unnamed male speaker within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary lover at the edge of night watches the moon fade as first saffron rays touch the horizon; his posture slackens, eyes heavy with fate-bound despair.

Characters & Entities

• Aruṇa
• Candramā
• Savitṛ (implied dawn)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly supports fade like moonlight at dawn; lasting steadiness comes from dharma and devotion beyond changing conditions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it provides poetic framing within the broader māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.