Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

हिमवन्तं समाश्रित्य शक्रोऽपि ददृशे द्विजान् । अष्टवंशसमुद्भूतान्विष्णुना समुदाहृतान्

Transliteration

himavantaṃ samāśritya śakro'pi dadṛśe dvijān | aṣṭavaṃśasamudbhūtānviṣṇunā samudāhṛtān

Translation

In der Nähe des Himavān Zuflucht nehmend, erblickte Śakra ebenfalls die zweimalgeborenen Weisen—aus acht Geschlechtern entsprossen—die Viṣṇu herbeigerufen hatte.

Word by Word

• हिमवन्तम्: Himālaya
• हिमवन्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिमवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• समाश्रित्य: having approached
• समाश्रित्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+आ+श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तः (absolutive/gerund); ‘having resorted to/approached’

• शक्रः: Indra
• शक्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• अपि: also
• अपि: Nipāta (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः; समुच्चये (also)

• ददृशे: saw
• ददृशे: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्

• द्विजान्: brāhmaṇas (twice-born)
• द्विजान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), बहुवचनम्

• अष्टवंशसमुद्भूतान्: born from eight lineages
• अष्टवंशसमुद्भूतान्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्ट (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + वंश (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भूत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; सम्+उद्+भू धातोः क्त)
• Form: समासः (अष्टानां वंशानां समुद्भूताः); पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; ‘द्विजान्’ इति विशेषणम्

• विष्णुना: by Viṣṇu
• विष्णुना: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (कर्ता/करण), एकवचनम्

• समुदाहृतान्: summoned/called forth
• समुदाहृतान्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+उद्+आ+हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-भूतकृदन्तः (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; ‘द्विजान्’ इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (narrative within Śakra–Viṣṇu dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Himavān

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, having taken refuge near Himavān, beholds a gathered group of dvijas—born of eight lineages—standing/sitting in austere brilliance, explicitly summoned by Viṣṇu.

Characters & Entities

• Himavān (Himalaya)
• Śakra (Indra)
• Dvija (brāhmaṇas)
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes the sanctity of qualified spiritual lineages and the divine endorsement of proper ritual agents.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Himavān (Himalaya) appears as the sacred meeting ground within the larger Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it reinforces the importance of recognized brāhmaṇas (aṣṭa-vaṃśa) connected to śrāddha efficacy.