Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

तथा निशाचराः सर्वे त्वया वार्या विभीषण । मम सेतुं समुल्लंघ्य न गंतव्यं धरातले

Transliteration

tathā niśācarāḥ sarve tvayā vāryā vibhīṣaṇa | mama setuṃ samullaṃghya na gaṃtavyaṃ dharātale

Translation

Ebenso, Vibhīṣaṇa, sollst du alle Nachtwesen zügeln: Haben sie meinen Damm überschritten, dürfen sie nicht auf die Erde gehen, um die Welt zu plagen.

Word by Word

• तथा: likewise, thus
• तथा: Kriyavisheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक/अन्वयार्थक (thus/likewise)

• निशाचराः: night-rangers (demons)
• निशाचराः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशाचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (निशाचराः)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Kartr/Agent (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• वार्याः: to be restrained/forbidden
• वार्याः: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वार्य (प्रातिपदिक; √वृ/वारयति-भाव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (निशाचराः); अर्थः: निवारणीयाः (to be restrained)

• विभीषण: O Vibhīṣaṇa
• विभीषण: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभीषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• मम: my
• मम: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• सेतुम्: bridge, causeway
• सेतुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• समुल्लङ्घ्य: having crossed over
• समुल्लङ्घ्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + उत् + लङ्घ् (धातु) → समुल्लङ्घ्य (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्)
• Form: अव्ययभावः; क्त्वा/ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्तः (absolutive), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपातः (negation)

• गन्तव्यम्: must not go
• गन्तव्यम्: Kriya (Obligatory predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गन्तव्य (कृदन्त, तव्यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्तः (must be gone), निषेधेन सह: न गन्तव्यम्

• धरातले: on the earth's surface
• धरातले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरातल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

Speaker

Rāma (implied, addressing Vibhīṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu (Rāma-setu)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A firm instruction to Vibhīṣaṇa: restrain all night-rangers; after crossing the Lord’s Setu they must not roam the earth—an image of disciplined guardianship at a sacred threshold.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Vibhīṣaṇa
• Niśācarāḥ (Rākṣasas)
• Setu (bridge; Rāma-setu implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes enforcing boundaries that protect society—power must be used to restrain harm-doers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The mention of “setu” evokes the sacred Setu (Rāma-setu) motif, central to pilgrimage geography, though the snippet does not specify the broader locale explicitly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it is a governance injunction to restrict transgression beyond the sacred boundary.