Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

किंवात्र बहुनोक्तेन क्रियते यद्व्रतं नरैः । तेन तुष्टिं परां याति दैत्योपरि स्थितो हरिः

Transliteration

kiṃvātra bahunoktena kriyate yadvrataṃ naraiḥ | tena tuṣṭiṃ parāṃ yāti daityopari sthito hariḥ

Translation

Wozu noch viele Worte? Welches Gelübde auch immer die Menschen auf sich nehmen, durch dieses Gelübde erlangt Hari—der über den Asuras steht—höchste Zufriedenheit.

Word by Word

• kim: what?
• kim: Viṣaya (Topic/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative pronoun, Napuṃsakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā/Accusative (contextual), Ekavacana (sg.); used idiomatically in rhetorical question

• vā: indeed / or
• vā: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Vikalpa-nipāta (particle of alternative/emphasis)

• atra: here, in this matter
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: Deśa-avyaya (adverb of place/स्थान)

• bahunā: with much (talk)
• bahunā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga (n.) used as substantive, Tṛtīyā vibhakti (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana (sg.)

• uktena: by what is said / by speaking
• uktena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √vac (धातु) + ukta (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: Kta-participle used substantively, Napuṃsakaliṅga (n.), Tṛtīyā vibhakti (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana (sg.)

• kriyate: is done
• kriyate: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra (present), Ātmanepada, Prathama puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana (sg.), Karmaṇi-prayoga (passive)

• yat: which
• yat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun used adjectivally, Napuṃsakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (sg.), qualifying vrataṃ

• vratam: vow, observance
• vratam: Karta (Subject in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga (n.), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (sg.)

• naraiḥ: by men, by people
• naraiḥ: Kartṛ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Tṛtīyā vibhakti (3rd/तृतीया), Bahuvacana (pl.)

• tena: by that (observance)
• tena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (pronoun), Napuṃsakaliṅga (n.), Tṛtīyā vibhakti (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana (sg.)

• tuṣṭim: satisfaction, pleasure
• tuṣṭim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tuṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (sg.)

• parām: supreme, great
• parām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (sg.), agreeing with tuṣṭim

• yāti: attains
• yāti: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra (present), Parasmaipada, Prathama puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana (sg.)

• daitya-upari: above the Daityas (demons)
• daitya-upari: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक) + upari (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyayībhāva-samāsa: upari (adverb) governing daitya; functions adverbially

• sthitaḥ: situated, standing
• sthitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √sthā (धातु) + sthita (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: Kta-participle (क्त), Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (sg.), agreeing with hariḥ

• hariḥ: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• hariḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (sg.)

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual instruction within Tīrthamāhātmya; speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hari-vrata in śayana/bodhana framework (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Hari enthroned above subdued demons in a symbolic cosmic tableau, while devotees below take vows; the deity’s face shows serene satisfaction as offerings are made.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Daitya (demons)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere vows, when rightly observed, directly please Hari; devotional discipline is portrayed as spiritually potent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits inside a tīrtha-māhātmya sequence that points to the place of Hari’s śayana/bodhana, later specified as Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Undertake and maintain vows (vrata) as a means of pleasing Hari.