Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । शीघ्रं गच्छ महादेव आत्मानं रक्ष सुप्रभो । गच्छाम्यहं न सन्देहो यत्र देवो जनार्दनः

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | śīghraṃ gaccha mahādeva ātmānaṃ rakṣa suprabho | gacchāmyahaṃ na sandeho yatra devo janārdanaḥ

Translation

Nārada sprach: „Geh schnell, o Mahādeva; schütze dich selbst, o strahlender Herr. Ich aber werde ohne Zweifel dorthin gehen, wo der göttliche Janārdana weilt.“

Word by Word

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• शीघ्रम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण), ‘शीघ्रतया’ (adverb ‘quickly’)

• गच्छ: go
• गच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (2nd person singular)

• महादेव: O Mahādeva
• महादेव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (महा + देव); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (Vocative singular)

• आत्मानम्: yourself
• आत्मानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• रक्ष: protect
• रक्ष: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (2nd person singular)

• सुप्रभो: O splendid one
• सुप्रभो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुप्रभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (सु + प्रभ); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (Vocative singular)

• गच्छामि: I go
• गच्छामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन (1st person singular)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• न: no/not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-निपात (negation)

• सन्देहः: doubt
• सन्देहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Desha-adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb ‘where’)

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• जनार्दनः: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• जनार्दनः: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (जनान् + अर्दनः ‘one who afflicts/overcomes people’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative singular)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Janārdana-sannidhi (unspecified)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādeva (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada, veena in hand, urgently addressing Mahādeva; his body angled forward as if departing; Mahādeva radiant yet composed; directional cue toward a distant Viṣṇu shrine/sky-path.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Janārdana (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Act promptly in times of danger and seek refuge in the Supreme Lord, while honoring the roles of different deities within dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is set within the Revā Khaṇḍa context (Narmadā/Revā sacred geography), though this particular line emphasizes going to Janārdana rather than naming a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed here; it is an instruction of urgent action and divine recourse.