Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

नान्यत्किंचिद्धरापृष्ठ एतन्मानचतुष्टयात् । एतेन तु प्रमाणेन देवदैत्याश्च मानवाः

Transliteration

nānyatkiṃciddharāpṛṣṭha etanmānacatuṣṭayāt | etena tu pramāṇena devadaityāśca mānavāḥ

Translation

O Hörer, auf der Oberfläche der Erde gibt es nichts außer diesem vierfachen Maßstab des Messens; nach eben dieser Regel der Berechnung ordnen Götter, Asuras und Menschen ihre Angelegenheiten.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• अन्यत्: anything else
• अन्यत्: Karma/Predicate (Object or predicate/कर्म-प्रत्यय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• किञ्चित्: anything (at all)
• किञ्चित्: Karma/Predicate (Object or predicate/कर्म-प्रत्यय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक (indefinite)

• धरापृष्ठे: on the surface of the earth
• धरापृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरा-पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; धरा + पृष्ठ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• मानचतुष्टयात्: from the set of four measures
• मानचतुष्टयात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मान-चतुष्टय (प्रातिपदिक; मान + चतुष्टय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• एतेन: by this
• एतेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषार्थक-निपात

• प्रमाणेन: by the standard/measure
• प्रमाणेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• देवदैत्याः: gods and demons
• देवदैत्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव-दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक; देव + दैत्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• मानवाः: humans
• मानवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrative voice (Purāṇic exposition; speaker not explicit in this verse)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (implied) interlocutor addressed as 'O listener' in the verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand cosmological tableau: three tiers—devas above, asuras in mid-realm, humans on earth—each following a shared calendar wheel labeled with four measures; a sage points to the wheel as the unifying law.

Characters & Entities

• Deva
• Daitya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A single cosmic order governs all beings; dharma is aligned with universal standards rather than personal whim.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Contextually within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya, but the verse is doctrinal about measures (pramāṇa), not a site description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; it asserts authoritative standards by which all beings regulate time and action.