Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

अथ प्राह सहस्राक्षो भयत्रस्तो बृहस्पतिम् । दिनेदिने वयं दैत्यैर्विजयामो द्विजोत्तम

Transliteration

atha prāha sahasrākṣo bhayatrasto bṛhaspatim | dinedine vayaṃ daityairvijayāmo dvijottama

Translation

Da sprach Sahasrākṣa (Indra), vom Schrecken erschüttert, zu Bṛhaspati: „O Bester der Zweimalgeborenen, Tag um Tag werden wir von den Dānavas überwältigt.“

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: आरम्भार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• prāha: said
• prāha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ah (अह्/ब्रू)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• sahasrākṣaḥ: Sahasrākṣa (Indra)
• sahasrākṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहिः: ‘सहस्रम् अक्षाणि यस्य’ (he who has a thousand eyes)

• bhayatrastaḥ: terrified
• bhayatrastaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhaya + trasta (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुषः: ‘भयेन त्रस्तः’ (frightened by fear)

• bṛhaspatim: Bṛhaspati
• bṛhaspatim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bṛhaspati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• dine: in a day
• dine: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative, 7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• dine: day by day
• dine: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative, 7th), एकवचन (Singular); पुनरुक्ति (reduplication) forming ‘day by day’

• vayam: we
• vayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• daityaiḥ: by the Daityas (demons)
• daityaiḥ: Karana (Agent/instrument in passive sense/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental, 3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• vijayāmaḥ: we win / are victorious
• vijayāmaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ji (जि)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• dvijottama: O best Brahmin
• dvijottama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘द्विजानाम् उत्तम’ (best of the twice-born)

Speaker

Narrator (implied Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa) reporting Indra’s words

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (Naimiṣa frame; not explicit here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, crown slightly askew, eyes wide with fear, approaches Bṛhaspati seated in calm austerity; behind Indra, devas stand wounded and anxious.

Characters & Entities

• Sahasrākṣa (Indra)
• Bṛhaspati
• Daityas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharmic strength wanes, one should seek guidance from a true teacher rather than act from fear or pride.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is part of the Tīrthamāhātmya flow in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, but no specific tīrtha is named within this single shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse; it sets up a counsel-dialogue that may lead to a practice or remedy later.