Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । सर्वेषामेव देवानां दृश्यंतेऽत्र समाश्रयाः । अत्र चंद्रस्य चैवैकः कथं जातः समाश्रयः

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | sarveṣāmeva devānāṃ dṛśyaṃte'tra samāśrayāḥ | atra caṃdrasya caivaikaḥ kathaṃ jātaḥ samāśrayaḥ

Translation

ঋষিরা বললেন—এখানে সকল দেবতার আশ্রয়স্থান দেখা যায়; তবে এখানে চন্দ্রের এই এক বিশেষ আশ্রয় কীভাবে উৎপন্ন হল?

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: the sages
• ऋषयः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; बहुवचन (Plural)

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष; बहुवचन

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; बहुवचन; (देवानाम् इति विशेषण)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: सम्बन्ध/निपात (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; बहुवचन

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen/appear
• दृश्यन्ते: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); आत्मनेपद; प्रथम-पुरुष; बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: are seen)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: अधिकरण (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• समाश्रयाः: refuges/abodes
• समाश्रयाः: कर्ता (Grammatical subject of passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम्-आ-श्रि (धातु) → समाश्रय (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-निष्पन्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; बहुवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: अधिकरण (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (here)

• चन्द्रस्य: of the Moon
• चन्द्रस्य: षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध/निपात (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: सम्बन्ध/निपात (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis)

• एकः: one/single
• एकः: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; (समाश्रयः इति विशेषण)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: सम्बन्ध/प्रश्न (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• जातः: arisen/come to be
• जातः: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP/क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; (समाश्रयः इति विशेषण)

• समाश्रयः: refuge/abode
• समाश्रयः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम्-आ-श्रि (धातु) → समाश्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of sages seated on kusa grass near a sacred waterbody/temple courtyard, gesturing toward many shrines or subtle divine signs; one shrine/mark is singled out as Candra’s special seat.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Devas
• Candra (Soma)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography invites inquiry—understanding a tīrtha’s origin deepens faith and practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The cluster of divine abodes in this region, with emphasis on the uniquely significant Candra/Soma abode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a question initiating the origin narrative (māhātmya-kathā).