Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । तमालोक्य पलायंतं विध्वस्तध्वजकार्मुकम् । दैत्यांश्च मुदितानिंद्रः कर्तव्यं नाध्यगच्छत

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | tamālokya palāyaṃtaṃ vidhvastadhvajakārmukam | daityāṃśca muditāniṃdraḥ kartavyaṃ nādhyagacchata

Translation

Nārada sprach: Als er ihn fliehen sah—Banner und Bogen zerschmettert—und die Daityas jubeln sah, vermochte Indra nicht zu erkennen, was zu tun sei.

Word by Word

• nāradaḥ: Nārada
• nāradaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nom, Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Perfect, 3rd person, Singular)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Masculine, Acc, Singular)

• ālokya: having seen
• ālokya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-lok (धातु) + ल्यप् (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यबन्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund): ‘having seen’

• palāyantam: fleeing
• palāyantam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: palāy (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Present active participle, Masculine, Acc, Singular)

• vidhvasta-dhvaja-kārmukam: whose banner and bow were shattered
• vidhvasta-dhvaja-kārmukam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vidhvasta (वि+ध्वंस् धातु, क्त) + dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक) + kārmuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष (vidhvastau dhvaja-kārmukau yasya) (Masculine, Acc, Singular; adjective)

• daityān: the demons
• daityān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (Masculine, Acc, Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (निपात)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• muditān: rejoicing, delighted
• muditān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mudita (mud धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Acc, Plural; adjective)

• indraḥ: Indra
• indraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nom, Singular)

• kartavyam: what should be done, duty
• kartavyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kartavya (kṛ धातु, तव्यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligation noun) (Neuter, Acc, Singular)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (निपात)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negative particle)

• adhyagacchat: understood, found out
• adhyagacchat: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: adhi-gam (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Imperfect, 3rd person, Singular)

Speaker

Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada narrates as Indra watches Hari’s retreat; Indra stands amid wrecked standards and broken weapons, face clouded with uncertainty while daityas celebrate in the distance.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Indra
• Daityas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharma seems unclear, even leaders can hesitate—prompting the need for wise counsel and steadiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this verse; the focus is on the moral tension within a battlefield episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces a narrative moment and a speaker (Nārada).