Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

तत्र ते मानवान्भोगान्भुक्त्वा चैव यथेच्छया । पुनर्निर्यांति तेनैव मार्गेण निजमंदिरम्

Transliteration

tatra te mānavānbhogānbhuktvā caiva yathecchayā | punarniryāṃti tenaiva mārgeṇa nijamaṃdiram

Translation

Dort genießen sie nach Belieben die menschlichen Freuden; dann ziehen sie wieder fort und kehren durch denselben Durchgang in ihre eigene Wohnstatt zurück.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक adverb)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• मानवान्: humans, men
• मानवान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• भोगान्: enjoyments, pleasures
• भोगान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• भुक्त्वा: having enjoyed/consumed
• भुक्त्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भुज् (धातु) → भुक्त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयार्थक conjunction)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण/particle of emphasis)

• यथा-इच्छया: as they wish, at will
• यथा-इच्छया: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (यथाऽइच्छया = यथेच्छया); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-भावे

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Sambandha (Adverbial modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पुनरावृत्तिवाचक adverb)

• निर्यान्ति: they go out, depart
• निर्यान्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्-√या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान/present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एव: indeed, the very same
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण/particle of emphasis)

• मार्गेण: by the path
• मार्गेण: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निज-मन्दिरम्: their own abode
• निज-मन्दिरम्: Karma (Object/goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक) + मन्दिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास ('निजं मन्दिरम्'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgabila

Type: cave

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nāgas in human lands partaking of pleasures—gardens, music, feasts—yet turning back toward the anthill-portal, disappearing into the earth in an orderly return.

Characters & Entities

• Nāga
• Pātāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Desire-driven enjoyment is depicted as transient; the narrative highlights the tīrtha as a liminal gateway rather than an end in itself.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Nāgabila passage (the famed route used for coming-and-going) within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed; the verse continues the site’s mythic description.