Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नंतरे तस्य पक्षिनाथस्य तत्क्षणात् । उभौ पक्षौ गतौ नाशं रुण्डाकारोऽत्र सोऽभवत्

Transliteration

etasminnaṃtare tasya pakṣināthasya tatkṣaṇāt | ubhau pakṣau gatau nāśaṃ ruṇḍākāro'tra so'bhavat

Translation

In eben diesem Augenblick verlor der Herr der Vögel beide Flügel; beide wurden vernichtet, und hier wurde er wie ein kopfloser Rumpf—flügellos und verstümmelt.

Word by Word

• etasmin: in this
• etasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• antare: in the interval
• antare: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• pakṣi-nāthasya: of the lord of birds
• pakṣi-nāthasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣin (प्रातिपदिक) + nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पक्षिणां नाथः)

• tat-kṣaṇāt: from that very moment
• tat-kṣaṇāt: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (तस्मात् क्षणात्)

• ubhau: both
• ubhau: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; विशेषण

• pakṣau: wings
• pakṣau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन

• gatau: went / were gone
• gatau: Kriya (Predicate/क्रियाविधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘गत’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; क्रियाविशेषण/विधेय (predicate)

• nāśam: to destruction
• nāśam: Gati-Karma (Goal/गतिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ruṇḍa-ākāraḥ: a headless-trunk form
• ruṇḍa-ākāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ruṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (रुण्डः इव आकारः/रुण्डाकारः)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: here)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• abhavat: became
• abhavat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु) + abhi (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrative voice (within Sūta’s narration)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic moment: the 'lord of birds' mid-air or perched, suddenly both wings disintegrating/vanishing; feathers scattering; the creature collapsing into a wingless, truncated form; nearby the silent ascetic Śāṇḍilī with a contained but potent gaze.

Characters & Entities

• Garuda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas (spiritual power) protects dharma and can instantly counter arrogance; actions and words bear immediate consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to a tīrtha-glorifying section (Tīrthamāhātmya), but this line itself describes the miracle-event rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is narrative, depicting a sudden supernatural consequence.