Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

तथा ते कीर्तयिष्यामि तस्योपायं वधोद्भवम् । वधयिष्यसि येनात्र तं त्वं दानवसत्तमम्

Transliteration

tathā te kīrtayiṣyāmi tasyopāyaṃ vadhodbhavam | vadhayiṣyasi yenātra taṃ tvaṃ dānavasattamam

Translation

"Dementsprechend werde ich dir das Mittel nennen, das seinen Tod herbeiführt – wodurch du hier und jetzt jenen Vornehmsten der Dānavas töten wirst."

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, in that way
• तथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb: ‘thus/in that manner’)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी/चतुर्थी? एकवचन; ‘ते’ = चतुर्थी एकवचन (to you) / षष्ठी एकवचन (of you) — अत्र क्रियापदेन सह चतुर्थी (dative singular)

• कीर्तयिष्यामि: I will tell/describe
• कीर्तयिष्यामि: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kīrtaya (कीर्तय, √कीर्त्/कीर्तयति causative from √kīrt ‘to praise/mention’) (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future/भविष्यत्काल), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तस्य: of that (one)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (genitive/षष्ठी), एकवचन; नपुंसक/पुंलिङ्ग-सामान्य रूप

• उपायम्: means, method
• उपायम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (accusative/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• वध-उद्भवम्: arising from slaying (i.e., connected with killing)
• वध-उद्भवम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vadha (प्रातिपदिक) + udbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘वधात् उद्भवः’); पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (agreeing with उपायम्)

• वधयिष्यसि: you will slay
• वधयिष्यसि: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vadhaya (वधय, causative from √vadh ‘to kill’) (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• येन: by which
• येन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; तृतीया (instrumental/तृतीया), एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-सामान्य (‘by which/with which’)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: ‘here’)

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

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (nominative/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• दानव-सत्तमम्: the best of the Dānavas
• दानव-सत्तमम्: Karma (Object in apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘दानवानां सत्तमः’); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (apposition to तम्)

Speaker

Bṛhaspati

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhaspati
• Indra
• Dānava (Vṛtra implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right counsel reveals right method; dhārmic success is achieved through appropriate means, not mere might.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; the next verses begin to locate the solution in a sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a promise of instruction.