Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

यज्ञभागं लभंते स्म कच्चिद्देवाः सवासवाः । कच्चिन्न दानवः कश्चिदुत्कटोऽभूद्धरातले

Transliteration

yajñabhāgaṃ labhaṃte sma kacciddevāḥ savāsavāḥ | kaccinna dānavaḥ kaścidutkaṭo'bhūddharātale

Translation

«ألا يزالُ الآلهةُ مع فاسافا (إندرا) ينالون نصيبَهم اللائقَ من القُربان؟ وهل لم ينهض على الأرض دانَفٌ شديدُ البأس؟»

Word by Word

• yajñabhāgam: share of the sacrifice
• yajñabhāgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (yajñasya bhāgaḥ)

• labhante: obtain
• labhante: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद

• sma: indeed, (in narration)
• sma: Kāla/Prayoga-nirdeśa (Temporal/narrative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sma (अव्यय)
• Form: स्म-कारक-अव्यय (past/continuative particle; narrative)

• kaccit: whether, I hope
• kaccit: Sambandha/Prayojaka (Interrogative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kaccit (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय/particle (interrogative)

• devāḥ: the gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन

• sa-vāsavāḥ: together with Vāsava (Indra)
• sa-vāsavāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्ग-सदृश) + vāsava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन; अव्ययीभाव (सह वासवेन)

• kaccit: whether, I hope
• kaccit: Sambandha/Prayojaka (Interrogative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kaccit (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय/particle (interrogative)

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• dānavaḥ: a Dānava (demon)
• dānavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन

• kaścit: any (someone)
• kaścit: Viśeṣaṇa (Indefinite qualifier)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन; अनिश्चित-प्रत्यय (चित्)

• utkaṭaḥ: fierce, formidable
• utkaṭaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: utkaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन

• abhūt: arose, came to be
• abhūt: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (अद्यतनभूत/Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• dharā-tale: on the surface of the earth
• dharā-tale: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharā (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (dharāyāḥ talaṃ)

Speaker

Bhagavān (Viṣṇu/Keśava)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: muniśreṣṭha (contextually the reporting sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhagavān continues questioning: are devas receiving yajña portions, and has any fierce daṇava manifested on earth—an image of ritual fires and celestial concern juxtaposed with terrestrial threat.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavān (Viṣṇu)
• Indra (Vāsava)
• Devas
• Daṇava
• Earth (Dharā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Maintaining yajña-order (rightful offerings and balance) is linked with the containment of destructive forces.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references yajñabhāga (sacrificial shares) as an established dharmic norm, not a step-by-step ritual.