Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

अथ देवाः परिज्ञाय तं तदा पंगुतां गतम् । आगत्य मेरुपृष्ठं च निजघ्नुस्तत्परिग्रहम्

Transliteration

atha devāḥ parijñāya taṃ tadā paṃgutāṃ gatam | āgatya merupṛṣṭhaṃ ca nijaghnustatparigraham

Translation

Da erkannten die Götter, dass er nun lahm geworden war, kamen zur Rückseite des Berges Meru und schlugen sein Lager und sein Gefolge nieder.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Adhikarana (Discourse marker/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अनन्तर/प्रारम्भबोधक)

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• परिज्ञाय: having recognized
• परिज्ञाय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√jñā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त्वा (अव्ययभाव), ‘having understood/recognized’

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तदा: at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक)

• पंगुताम्: lameness
• पंगुताम्: Gati/Karma (State as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃgutā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; भाववाचक संज्ञा

• गतम्: having become; having gone into
• गतम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (भूतकृदन्त), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘gone to/attained’ (तम् इति कर्मणः विशेषण)

• आगत्य: having come
• आगत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√gam (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त्वा (अव्ययभाव), ‘having come’

• मेरुपृष्ठम्: the back/slope of Meru
• मेरुपृष्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘मेरोः पृष्ठम्’ (तत्पुरुष)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• निजघ्नुः: they struck; they killed
• निजघ्नुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√han (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्परिग्रहम्: his attendants/retinue; his possessions
• तत्परिग्रहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + parigraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष— ‘तस्य परिग्रहः’ (his retinue/possession)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Meru (mythic sacred mountain)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottamāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The devas, having perceived Vṛka’s sudden lameness, descend upon Meru’s slope and smash the daitya encampment—standards topple, chariots break, divine weapons flash.

Characters & Entities

• Devāḥ (the Gods)
• Meru
• Vṛka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When adharma weakens, divine forces move to protect order and restrain harm to the world.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Meru is mentioned as a sacred cosmic mountain; no named local tīrtha is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse describes a divine intervention in a conflict.