Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

ततो गत्वा सहस्राक्षमुवाच द्विजसत्तमाः । क्षुत्तृषावृतदेहस्तु लज्जयाऽधोमुखः स्थितः

Transliteration

tato gatvā sahasrākṣamuvāca dvijasattamāḥ | kṣuttṛṣāvṛtadehastu lajjayā'dhomukhaḥ sthitaḥ

Translation

Dann ging er zu Sahasrākṣa (Indra) und sprach. Von Hunger und Durst umhüllt, stand er beschämt mit gesenktem Antlitz.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/देश-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘thereupon/then’

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Kriya-viseshana (Converbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: gam (धातु) → gatvā (क्त्वान्त/अव्ययभाव)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having gone’

• sahasrākṣam: Sahasrākṣa (Indra)
• sahasrākṣam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन — ‘him who has a thousand eyes’ (Indra)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — ‘said/spoke’

• dvija-sattamāḥ: the best Brahmins
• dvija-sattamāḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन — ‘best of the twice-born (Brahmins)’

• kṣut-tṛṣā-āvṛta-dehaḥ: with body overcome by hunger and thirst
• kṣut-tṛṣā-āvṛta-dehaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier of sthitaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣut + tṛṣā + āvṛta + deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘whose body is covered/overcome by hunger and thirst’

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle) — contrast/emphasis

• lajjayā: out of shame
• lajjayā: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lajjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन — ‘by/with shame’

• adho-mukhaḥ: downcast
• adho-mukhaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier of sthitaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhas + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘down-faced, with face lowered’

• sthitaḥ: stood
• sthitaḥ: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु) → sthita (क्त/PPP)
• Form: क्त (भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘stood/remained’

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (introducing Vasusena’s address to Indra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A weary, ashamed brāhmaṇa stands in Indra’s luminous sabhā, head bowed, body emaciated by hunger and thirst; devas look on amid jeweled pillars and celestial light.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Sahasrākṣa)
• Vasusena

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When karma ripens as suffering, humility and honest seeking of guidance become the path to remedy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it narrates an episode in heaven involving Indra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it marks the turn toward counsel from Indra.