Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

अवतीर्णा धरापृष्ठे वानप्रस्थाश्रमे ततः । एवं सा पञ्चमी रात्रिस्तस्य यज्ञस्य सत्तमाः

Transliteration

avatīrṇā dharāpṛṣṭhe vānaprasthāśrame tataḥ | evaṃ sā pañcamī rātristasya yajñasya sattamāḥ

Translation

Dann stieg sie auf die Oberfläche der Erde herab, in die Einsiedelei des Waldlebenden (vānaprastha). So verging die fünfte Nacht jenes vortrefflichen Opfers.

Word by Word

• अवतीर्णा: descended
• अवतीर्णा: Kriya (Predicate/Participial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव+तॄ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; "having descended/descended"

• धरा-पृष्ठे: on the earth’s surface
• धरा-पृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरा (प्रातिपदिक) + पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे—"on the surface of the earth"

• वानप्रस्थ-आश्रमे: in the vānaprastha hermitage
• वानप्रस्थ-आश्रमे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वानप्रस्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थे

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारार्थे (thus/in this manner)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• पञ्चमी: fifth
• पञ्चमी: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; रात्रिः इति विशेषणम्

• रात्रिः: night
• रात्रिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तस्य: of that/of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• यज्ञस्य: of the sacrifice
• यज्ञस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• सत्तमाः: best/excellent (reading uncertain)
• सत्तमाः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; superlative of सत्/साधु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; पाठे असंगतिः—सम्भाव्यं "सत्तमा" (स्त्री. प्रथ. एक.) रात्रेः विशेषणम् वा "सत्तमः" (पुं. प्रथ. एक.) यज्ञस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine figure descends to earth into a forest hermitage; the narrative marks the fifth night of an excellent sacrifice.

Characters & Entities

• vānaprastha (forest-stage hermitage)
• yajña (sacrifice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma honors āśrama-life and yajña as supports for sacred order and spiritual fruition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya, a tīrtha-focused section of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A multi-night sacrificial observance is implied (the fifth night of the yajña), indicating structured ritual time (rātri-count) in the rite.