Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

गुरो स मासः संप्राप्तः प्रावृट्कालो भयावहः । आगमिष्यति यत्रासौ लब्धपादो वृकासुरः

Transliteration

guro sa māsaḥ saṃprāptaḥ prāvṛṭkālo bhayāvahaḥ | āgamiṣyati yatrāsau labdhapādo vṛkāsuraḥ

Translation

„O Guru, jener Monat ist gekommen—die furchterregende Regenzeit. Dann wird Vṛkāsura, der seine Füße wiedererlangt hat, dorthin kommen, wo immer er sich befindet.“

Word by Word

• guro: of the teacher (Bṛhaspati)
• guro: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• saḥ: that
• saḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (determiner)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• māsaḥ: month
• māsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• saṃprāptaḥ: has arrived
• saṃprāptaḥ: Kriyā (Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam+pra√āp (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; predicate: has arrived)

• prāvṛṭkālaḥ: the rainy season time
• prāvṛṭkālaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāvṛṭ + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (प्रावृट्-समये कालः) (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• bhayāvahaḥ: bringing fear, dreadful
• bhayāvahaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (qualifier of prāvṛṭkālaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhaya + āvaha (प्रातिपदिक; √vah)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (भयं आवहति इति) (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• āgamiṣyati: will come
• āgamiṣyati: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā√gam (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Future, 3rd person singular)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक देशवाचक (relative adverb: where)

• asau: that one (he)
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• labdhapādaḥ: having regained his foot/leg
• labdhapādaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (qualifier of vṛkāsuraḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: labdha (√labh + kta) + pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (लब्धः पादः यस्य/लब्धपादः) (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• vṛkāsuraḥ: Vṛkāsura
• vṛkāsuraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛka + asura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (वृक-नामकः असुरः) (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Devarāja (Indra) addressing Bṛhaspati (Guru)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A worried group addresses their guru as dark monsoon clouds gather; lightning and swollen waters suggest danger, while the looming figure of Vṛkāsura is hinted in the distance.

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhaspati
• prāvṛṭ (rainy season)
• Vṛkāsura

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time and season can intensify danger; hence dharma requires vigilance and seeking guidance before threats re-emerge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is identified in this verse; it focuses on seasonal timing and the return of Vṛkāsura.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a warning tied to the arrival of the rainy season and the demon’s recovery.