Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

मया तस्य तदा दत्तं लंकायां राज्यमक्षयम् । बहुभक्तिप्रतुष्टेन यावच्चन्द्रार्कतारकाः

Transliteration

mayā tasya tadā dattaṃ laṃkāyāṃ rājyamakṣayam | bahubhaktipratuṣṭena yāvaccandrārkatārakāḥ

Translation

„Damals verlieh ich ihm auf Laṅkā ein unvergängliches Königtum; hoch erfreut über seine reiche Hingabe — solange Mond, Sonne und Sterne bestehen.“

Word by Word

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया, एकवचन

• tasya: to him / of him
• tasya: Sampradāna/Sambandha (to him/of him)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• dattam: given
• dattam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dā (धातु) + kta (क्त) → datta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; rājyam इति विशेषण (given)

• laṃkāyām: in Laṅkā
• laṃkāyām: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: laṃkā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• rājyam: kingdom
• rājyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; दत्तम् इति सह कर्मरूपेण

• akṣayam: imperishable
• akṣayam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नञ्-तत्पुरुषार्थक (negation prefix); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; rājyam इति विशेषण

• bahu-bhakti-pratuṣṭena: being greatly pleased by devotion
• bahu-bhakti-pratuṣṭena: Hetu/Karana (Cause/Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + pra + tuṣ (धातु) + kta (क्त) → pratuṣṭa (कृदन्त)
• Form: समास: बहु-भक्ति-प्रतुष्ट (बह्वी भक्तिः यस्य/बहुभक्त्या प्रतुष्टः इत्यर्थे); तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-सामान्यरूप; ‘(मया) … (तेन) बहुभक्तिप्रतुष्टेन’—हेतौ/साधने

• yāvat: as long as
• yāvat: Avadhi (Limit)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधिवाचक-अव्यय (as long as)

• candra-arka-tārakāḥ: the moon, sun, and stars
• candra-arka-tārakāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: candra (प्रातिपदिक) + arka (प्रातिपदिक) + tārakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (समाहार/इतरेतर: चन्द्रः च अर्कः च तारकाः च); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (तारका-प्रधान), प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Rāma (implied by first-person ‘mayā’ within the narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Laṅkā (as dhārmic rājyakṣetra under Vibhīṣaṇa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (contextual) māhātmya listener

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma declares the grant of imperishable kingship to Vibhīṣaṇa; imagery of coronation/boon with celestial witnesses (sun, moon, stars as symbolic backdrop).

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Vibhīṣaṇa
• Laṅkā
• Moon
• Sun
• Stars

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion aligned with dharma is honored and protected; righteous leadership is presented as a divine trust.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Laṅkā is mentioned as a realm, but this śloka itself does not praise a particular tīrtha by name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual instruction appears; the focus is on dharmic reward and kingship.